Revival of a Slumbering Heart
by CrimsonHeaven
Summary: Vincent is secluding himself more than before from the group and Tifa is desperate to prevent him from slipping away completely. While struggling to deal with his growing emotions of affection, will Tifa's involvement prove to be more than he can handle?
1. Moments in the Twilight

Chapter 1

I sat motionlessly by the water's edge, my reflected face just outside of my view. Darkness had engulfed my surroundings, yet I could easily suppress the menacing forces at work around me. For too long had I been shut inside with it and eventually had it not only resulted in ridding me of all fear, but also somewhat of my identity. Despite I knew I had been altered physically during my time confined, what I didn't tell most people was the mental change that I felt had been triggered in me. No matter what others said and the time now spent in the outside world, I could still not completely identify myself with other humans and no longer felt any affinity to the term of my supposed race. If I still was human, it was hidden away pretty deep inside somewhere and most likely forever out of my reach.

I gently leaned forward and peered into my own face reflected in the water. The reflection was almost identical to that of the moon, located just a few feet away from mine. The darkness of my hair gently whipped at my face in the faint breeze, making the two images reflected startlingly similar. Pale as the finest fabric of silk, both cloaked inside the dark safety of what was our veil. Somehow, I felt like there would never be a time where I would have anyone I really could identify myself with, no matter how long that I searched. All that was left for me seemed to be lifeless beings, while deceased people were left in my wake.

"Vincent!"

I turned my head slightly, just to signal that I had heard the call. I did not have to turn around to identify this person. Not her.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Nothing" I answered, not looking away from the scenery. I could hear her utter a small sigh.

"It's so hard when you are so stealthy all the time. You slip away before anyone has a chance to notice"

I blinked slowly, unmoved by her harsh tone. I worshipped the time I could spend alone and still struggled a bit to get used to crowds. Just having friends was a newfound joy for me, but I was still a bit uncertain in how to express it most of the time. When I did not answer, she sighed again.

"So obnoxious…" she breathed, and leaned onto a nearby tree trunk, crossing her arms. I peered over at her. She was almost impossible to see in the darkness of the forest as she was dressed completely in black. I could only make out her white undershirt and her delicate fair skin, which was a large contrast to the dark background.

"If I am such a bother to you, why can't you just leave me alone?"

She scoffed slightly at my reply, looking a bit more irritated.

"Why you, that's exactly why I can't leave you alone! You are part of the team, of our group! I just want you to act as one, that's all. And not wander about by yourself all the time."

I fell silent, slightly awed by her motives. It was still a bit unfamiliar for me to be treated as if I mattered. Before I got to open my mouth for an answer, she continued.

"It's just that, every time we have a mission to complete or some work going on, you're always there to aid us. But when the work is done and the danger over, you always retreat back into yourself again. I just think that's really sad Vincent… We are your friends after all."

I felt her words pull at something deep inside my stomach, something my common sense screamed I had to deny. Never the less, I could only keep my guard up for a limited amount of time when it came to her. If she kept on being this persistent, in the end I would have to give in to her kindness. It was hard to imagine however, that I of all people could be worthy of anyone's concern.

"Don't you think Cloud will be worried about you if you stay out here for too long?"

I was surprised to feel how much my sentence hurt myself. She however, seemed indifferent.

"You're talking as if I was his wife or whatever… Besides, he's not in. He's working late"

She paused and I somewhat regretted what I said. Despite her hard exterior, I knew of her still strong feelings for Cloud. That however, didn't keep me from always playing upon them when cornered.

"You do realize that there's just not going to happen anything between me and him? How he still acts oblivious, even though I am trying so hard? Oh he'd be worried about me, sure. Just as worried as he would be for a stray Chocobo chick about to wander into a road filled with traffic. I'm nothing special to him, and if I am, it's as his beloved sister… It is a fight I have lost Vincent; it's really no secret at all…"

I felt a sting in my abdomen at her words and the emotion in them. I knew I should know better than to rip at already open and bleeding wounds, yet I always found myself hurting other people while shielding myself. I had become far too familiar with being selfish after everything that had happened to me. Especially with Lucrecia.

"I apologize if I have spoken out of place" I tried my best at sounding sincere, yet I didn't really know if I succeeded or not. I dared taking another look over at her, a slight feeling of relief filling me up. She looked bothered, yet not as much as I had feared.

"No, don't worry about it. It's me who shouldn't let it get to me. I have to get over it, sooner or later."

I didn't comment further, unsure if I would burst out more hurtful matters for her if I tried.

"Are you sure you won't come back with me?"

I hesitated. I realized refusing would mean she would have to go back alone in an area that was dangerous even in the daytime. Then again, she had never proved herself to be the typical damsel in distress.

"Would it not be a bit sad if I now refused and made all of your effort just be a waste of time and energy?" I asked. She sighed again.

"If that's your answer I'll just go ahead and excuse myself"

She turned on her heel and proceeded to walk into the trees, heading for the plains. I felt myself give in.

"Tifa!"

She stopped and turned towards me, startled at my sudden outburst. I had to admit it sounded more like a growl due to my deep voice, but that could not be helped. I got up from my seat, pulled out my trusted Cerberus from its leather holster, and started to walk towards her with slow steps, loading the gun as I walked. Despite my pace, the length of my legs made me catch up with her quickly. I hovered over her, digging my crimson eyes into her reddish brown. She seemed slightly surprised by my sudden approach, yet I could not bring myself to look away from her.

"You have the regular room available? "

She smiled slightly. "Yes, as always waiting for you."

I returned her smile with a gentle nod, before backing slightly, putting my gun back at my hip where it belonged.

"Seventh Heaven it is then"

Her face lit up in an instant and I felt my insides twist slightly at the sight. Despite my harsh appearance and attitude towards her, there was nothing that warmed my supposed heart more than seeing her happy. It was a shame she would never get to know.


	2. Seventh Heaven

Chapter 2

Soon, Tifa and I had arrived in Edge and her bar, Seventh Heaven. We hadn't talked much on the way there, yet that was just the way I usually liked it. She knew me far too well to comment on it or complain about it though, which made me slightly reassured. It was wonderful to not feel the pressure of having to converse all the time when in the company of others, which was probably a trait I shared with Cloud to some degree. I sometimes wondered if our similar brooding personalities were a source of discomfort for Tifa when she was around me, despite the fact that I was a much more silent and serious character than he was. Not to even mention the rather large contrasts in our appearances. I forced myself to not think about it as I knew Tifa's personal traits better than to jump to hasty conclusions. She had after all, proved how much she cared about her friends more than once during the years I had known her. Walking all the way to the outskirts of Edge just to find me at my regular spot was certainly not an act of selfishness from her part. It was rather selfish from mine since I had decided once more to silently slip away.

As we walked in through the doors of Tifa's bar, I immediately noticed that it wasn't as empty as I had hoped. Most of the group was still up, probably waiting for Tifa's return. All of them, especially Yuffie, seemed extremely surprised to see me accompany her.

"Vincent! I thought you'd bolted off for sure this time!"

I grinned slightly to myself, unmoved by her enthusiasm.

"I didn't get far"

She seemed a bit irritated at my answer, getting up from her seat.

"Oh Mr. High and Mighty, I'm soo sorry if our company is of that much annoyance to you"

I let out a small snicker at her words, unsurprised at the direction the conversation was going.

When I didn't reply further, Yuffie seemed to become even more annoyed.

"You're such a meanie Vincent!" she pouted, her small and usually cute frame distorted by her dismay. She looked like a small Chihuahua that had just been denied its daily treat. Yet again, discussing with me seemed to be one of the only constant traits of hers, besides her extreme obsession for materia. I walked past her, slightly annoyed and sat down at Barret and Cid's table, gently leaning forward on my elbows to try to signal that the conversation was over. The two men however, seemed amused by the situation and exchanged glances. They knew as well as I did how easy I got Yuffie going with my few words and somewhat inconsiderable replies. Despite hating it, I braced myself for the possibility of an ongoing confrontation. It wasn't always she let me off the hook. Yuffie looked like she was about to say something more, but to my biggest surprise, Tifa interfered.

"Yuffie, that's enough. Look at it from the bright side, Vincent is back to spend the evening here. I'm fairly sure that he didn't return for the sake of being argued with"

Tifa's words seemed to hit home and Yuffie looked down to the floor, obviously embarrassed. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and I did my best to try no look at her in pity. I had heard from Tifa a while back that Yuffie's intensifying behavior was because she actually was growing interested in me, but I had done my best to brush it off. If there were two people in the world that didn't fit together, it was Yuffie and I. I could bear with her intense personality only in doses, yet that was something I would never admit to her. Even though I was somewhat cold and harsh, I wouldn't be that mean to someone just because they were sincere with their feelings. There were limits to what even such a person as I could bring myself to say to other people.

After a few moments in silence, she looked over at me with an apologetic look. I returned her gaze with a small nod and looked towards her chair at our table, indicating it was okay for her to sit down. She returned to the table with a grateful smile and the conversation started on a different topic, the matter seemingly forgotten. I looked up to see Tifa's gentle eyes upon me as she wiped a glass with a washcloth from behind the bar. I sent her a grateful look for her words and she smiled. For a split second, all my worries seemed washed away. Something in the back of my mind screamed at me to look away from her, but it was surprisingly hard to do. When I finally returned my gaze to the table, it was not without agony. I didn't get any chance to ponder about it though as Barret suddenly returned to the table with a few drinks. Before I knew it, I was unwillingly dragged along into a heated drinking game with him and Cid, eventually giving in due to my slightly competitive nature. It was also a while since I last had a decent drink so I figured why the heck not. As the game went on, I felt myself getting increasingly annoyed by losing almost every time and ended up drinking more violently for a chance of triumph. Yuffie, as well as Barret and Cid, seemed extremely amused by the sight of me actually letting myself loose for once, and she almost laughed her ears off every time the three of us clashed in debate over who won and lost. Despite beginning to actually feel intoxicated, I knew there were probably little chances of somebody ever outranking me in tolerance of beverages such as this, even Barret or Cid. My body's altering during Hojo's experiments saw to that.

Some time later, the result was exactly as I had predicted. Around the time Cloud got back from his duties, I was the last person standing in the competition. He stared in amazement at me, who was busy finishing the last parts of my drink alone and in silence, trying to look more sober than I in reality was. Once in a while, loud snores were heard from underneath the table.

"You managed to outdo them both?"

I nodded, blinking a few times to adjust my vision to see him properly.

"Apparently I did"

Cloud seemed amused and looked over to Tifa, who was still tending the bar.

"We should get them to bed. Are the rooms ready?"

Tifa nodded. "Sure"

She glanced over at me, who just took the last sip of my glass. I regretted it the very second I swallowed.

"Vincent, would you mind helping Cloud carrying the two upstairs? If you're not too much under the influence that is"

I felt the corner of my mouth pull slightly up into a small grin, and got up from my chair. "You underestimate my abilities" I said silently and picked up Barret single handedly and threw him over my shoulder. I had to admit he was heavy but as if I would ever admit such a thing, at least not in front of her. The biggest challenge at the moment was simply standing upright at all. Cloud came over to my side and picked up Cid, before we ascended the staircase. Even though I didn't see his face, I could feel his eyes in my neck.

"Gee Vincent. You're old as a geezer but you sure seem to handle alcohol well"

I staggered, not sure if I should blame it on Barret's weight or the liquor. I chose to ignore it, hoping Cloud didn't realize how much under the influence I actually was.

"It's not as if I can help it."

Cloud let out a small laugh at my reply. "And you claim to have no sense of humor, yet you enjoy watching Barret and Cid drink themselves unconscious unknowing that you're as good as immune. How on earth did you manage to get such a tolerance of alcohol?"

I didn't look at him. Had I, he would probably notice just how much my eyes were swimming.

"Physical alteration of the human body. Won't recommend it"

Cloud nodded his head slightly in understanding. His smile didn't fade though.

"You sure are full of surprises"

We arrived at the room where the two of them were to sleep and I opened the door with my free hand. After putting Barret down on his bed, I turned to Cloud and tried my best in looking serious. I figured since it was me, it wouldn't be too difficult though.

"Believe me; you would be surprised had you known everything that is going on inside my head"

Cloud looked slightly confused but smiled in return.

"Will you too retire?"

I thought about the options for a few seconds, my head slowly responding to my commands. "I don't know really. Are you implying you have a suggestion?"

He nodded. "Sure. Why don't you come downstairs with me? There is something Tifa and I wanted to discuss with you"

I immediately became somewhat suspicious. Cloud usually never had anything to talk to me about unless it was related to work or missions he wanted me to aid him in. And why was Tifa involved? I eventually nodded, agreeing to go back downstairs with him. I tried to not think about the fact I had just been granted another chance to spoil the entire impression of only a mildly intoxicated self to him. Not to even mention Tifa.

When we got back, Yuffie too had gone to bed and Tifa was closing the bar for the night. She was leaning gently over the counter, resting her head in her palm. She looked up at us as we came into the room, smiling slightly.

"Great, you brought him back down Cloud"

I was a bit surprised at her reaction, yet I tried as best I could to hide it. Cloud sat down on one of the bar stools in front of Tifa, facing her. I followed and sat down next to him, nearly missing the seat in the process. Luckily for me, none of the two seemed to have noticed.

"It's really late so I won't drag this on, but there is something I've wanted to ask you Vincent" Tifa started, suddenly looking over at me. I stiffened in my seat, sitting as upright as I could possibly manage.

"It's about time we went along to do something together that's not related to work. We were planning a trip for a few days to the Gold Saucer for the entire group, and we were hoping you'd join as well"

I stared at them both in surprise.

"The Gold Saucer?"

Cloud grinned.

"Yeah, we are leaving tomorrow morning. Actually, I'm going to participate in the Chocobo Racing so that's what prompted everyone else to wanting to join as well"

I peeked over at Tifa, who was smiling as always while looking at Cloud. It dawned on me what had made her so enthusiastic about going and I couldn't say I was surprised. On the other hand, I was also a little disappointed.

"Alright, I'll go" I said bluntly, while getting up from my seat. "If that was all, I'll be retiring for bed"

Both of them seemed a bit startled by my sudden withdrawal but nodded their heads slightly. I turned to walk back to the staircase, fighting the effects of the alcohol every step of the way. In my eagerness, I nearly missed the correct doorway and ended up walking in an extremely exaggerated arc which nearly made me use half of the room. Dragging myself back onto the correct course with one hand on the railing, I hurried as fast and soundless I could manage up the stairs, eventually arriving in the correct hallway and out of their sights. After I got to my room, I closed the door swiftly behind me, before slowly leaning backwards, resting my back against it. I hoped Tifa hadn't found me too amusing while drunk, since I hated showing that side of me to her. Despite that fact, it had happened more than once that I passed out with a face-plant at her bar-desk when the evening of a really bad day was over. I always woke up feeling horrible afterwards, scared to death about what I could have said to her in my deep inebriation where my usual too active filter of words was ripped open completely. Sometimes I was unsure if I was really protecting her as I told myself I was, or just simply were a coward afraid to admit the truth. Deep down inside I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up this time either, but never the less it was a bit of a let down to see how Tifa's feelings for Cloud never seemed to diminish. What confused me even more though, was why I seemed to care a whole lot more about it now, than before. Could it be the alcohol? A knock on the door suddenly brought me back to my senses, startling me.

"Vincent, are you there?"

It was Tifa's voice. I stood motionless on the other side of the door, gaze lowered to the floor. "Yes."

"Are you alright? You seemed somewhat… unwell"

I felt a sting in my stomach, unsure if it was because of my embarrassment or her concern for me.

"No Tifa, it's nothing. I just overdid it a bit tonight, so I need some rest"

I heard her sigh in relief. She couldn't be more than a few centimeters from the door.

"I'm glad. Sorry for the intrusion, I won't bother you any longer if you're tired"

I heard her shift her weight from one foot to another. But she did not leave.

"Vincent?"

I clamped my eyes tightly shut at the sound of her voice uttering my name, wishing she would go away. When I first managed to answer her again, it was not without peril.

"Yes…?"

"I'm really happy you're coming along tomorrow. I really am"

I heard her footsteps disappear swiftly down the hall, eventually fading away completely. I was left with mixed feelings, suddenly remembering why I always tended to keep away from this place. I was sure, with me being this way; the next days would prove highly interesting. It being for the good or the bad however, I did not know yet. But I had a hunch.


	3. The Gold Saucer

Chapter 3

It had been a few years since I last had visited the Gold Saucer. Back then it was during my first travels with Cloud and his group and the reason once more being Cloud's competitions in the Chocobo Racing. Despite now having the Fenrir, Cloud still seemed to be quite interested in raising Chocobos, which sort of amazed me. It sometimes made me wonder if it was caused by Aerith's obvious affection for them.

At any rate, our group had arrived and was checking in at the hotel in the Ghost Square. Cid would sleep with his wife Shera, Nanaki with Barret, and Tifa with Yuffie. I was left to share a room with Cloud, which was in fact to my greatest relief. He had told me he would not be around a lot due to his hectic schedule, which suited me perfectly. It was a surprise for me to actually be able to get privacy as easy as this though.

I sat alone in the dimly lit hotel room, enjoying the silence and solitude the current moment was granting me. I realized my appearance in a place that looked like this was probably highly ironic, as the theme of the hotel was taken straight out of a horror movie. I hadn't even gotten further than the reception before a pair of young girls approached me. I was standing a bit away from the rest of the group and apparently the two mistook me for a hotel employee or even a prop. I tried my best to ignore them, yet all of a sudden I could feel something pulling and tugging at my cape. The moment I turned my head to see what was going on, the two girls screamed in agony and surprise, before running off out of the room. What annoyed me the most about the incident though was not the fact that I apparently attracted attention, but because of the immense laughter it caused Cloud and the others. Being the laughing stock of a group was not my favorite activity to say the least. But now, it was different. Alone, I was once more surrounded by silence and ridded of the constant pressure of having to socialize and act accordingly to what others wanted or expected me to. It was hard trying to live up to other people's expectations, which was probably why I tended to avoid others at times. Alone like this, the constant passing flow of time was simply irrelevant. Sadly, it also felt somewhat wasted.

I suddenly heard a few knocks on the door and I looked up.

"Vincent, are you there? It's Tifa"

I sighed slightly at the sound of her. For every time she called my name, my grave became a few inches deeper.

"The door is open"

The knob turned and the door opened, creaking loudly. Tifa smiled slightly as she entered. "So you are still here after all. At first I didn't believe Barret when he told me you hadn't gone out yet"

I looked away from her, taking a sip of my glass.

"I told them to go on ahead. Cloud isn't here if it's him you're looking for"

She blinked slightly, but didn't seem particularly uncomfortable.

"No, I came here looking for you. There will be no more of that regular attitude of yours this time around"

I looked up, confused. "And what do you mean by that?"

She smiled innocently, putting her hands behind her back. She looked so cute it nearly made me want to vomit.

"You're going to come with me for a bit of a fun time, if you want to of course. I know how you seem to prefer not being surrounded by crowds and stuff all the time, so you don't have to worry about the other guys. It will be just you and me"

I felt a sharp sting in my stomach, nearly choking on my drink. Despite her intentions of actually making more comfortable, she had unknowingly done the opposite. Tifa seemed slightly surprised by my reaction, her smile fading.

"You don't want to? I mean, it's fine if you think I'm a bother…"

I had to interrupt her. "You're me not, Tifa, relax"

I put my glass down on the table next to the bed and got to my feet, her unsure eyes following me closely.

"Don't worry. I'll go with you."

Her smile returned, both to my greatest relief and dismay.

"Are you sure? I won't force you, even though it was my main intention to not let you get off that easily"

I grinned slightly. Somehow, I expected to hear something like that.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Tifa asked me as we walked down the road on the outside of the hotel, approaching the different hatches that lead to all of the different sights.

"What's this? I thought you had this entire deal planned already when you asked"

She giggled. "No, not really. Truthfully, I just wanted to go out with you. Beyond that, I have no clue myself"

My heart skipped a beat. I told myself she was being specific about the phrase "go out with" and it was nothing like a date at all. But one thing was definitely clear in my mind. If she kept this up, I wouldn't last long.

"We have about two hours before Cloud's race is on, which gives us plenty of time for fun. Shall we hit the Wonder Square first? I'm dying to play some games at the arcade!"

I grinned slightly.

"Sure"

The Wonder Square was a large area, stuffed with all kinds of arcade games, fortune tellers and activities for visitors to engage themselves in. A large hallway in metal connected the main square with the arcade hall and Tifa and I ascended the staircase on the first floor to pass through it. I peeked out the window as we walked and saw a few fortune tellers eagerly hand out predictions to a few couples downstairs. I stared at them in envy, thinking how they were not even realizing how lucky they indeed were to be regular people. Regular people with regular worries who were able to just go out like this to have fun and relax. That was still something I needed to learn how to do. As I walked through the large flashing hall, I couldn't help but reminisce about my travels together with Cloud and his group, being back in such familiar surroundings. Because I had a motive for my actions back then, I didn't think I would ever find a reason for wanting to stay together with the group anymore after our objective had been reached. Ever since then, I had found myself being dragged back on the same paths as them time and time again, and it seemed like that was the way fate wanted it to be. I looked over at Tifa, who enthusiastically observed the surroundings, seemingly comfortable in my company. It seemed that the reason I had been avoiding so many times in the past, was closer than I had ever imagined it could be.

"Hey Vincent, where do you live now anyway?" Tifa asked, while playing a game in the arcade hall. The objective was to feed kupo nuts to a moogle to make him able to fly to impress his future mate. I became a bit unsure about what to answer.

"Here and there. I don't have any particular place I tend to return to any longer. Then again, I never really had before either."

"Before your confinement, didn't you have a home town or a family?"

I shook my head. "I can't remember anymore. I've only been told of my father, who was a scientist working alongside Lucrecia. But apparently he died when shielding her from an explosion after an experiment went wrong. I can't remember anything about him or mother myself though. No heart warming childhood memories of a joyful upbringing. The only thing I remember is a life of solitude."

Tifa finished her game, and stepped off the small podium. She looked at me, eyes sad.

"You know, that's really awful… Everyone should have the security and privilege of being a happy child stowed away somewhere in their memory to look back at. That's what I think at least"

I lowered my head slightly, feeling a bit unwell.

"Sorry to disappoint you"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry if you misunderstood me."

She tried a snowboarding game next while I watched from the sidelines.

"I've just really wondered where you went off to, but its okay if you want to keep it for yourself. Just let me know if there is anything I can do for you"

I looked away. "You could answer one of my questions, if it's not a bother"

She smiled, without taking her eyes off the screen in front of her. "Sure"

"Where is your family?"

Tifa's face changed for a split second, obviously stunned by the question. I was about to take it back, but she spoke before I got the chance.

"My mother died when I was really young, about eight or so. I have a few memories of her but I can't remember what she looked like anymore. Father was killed by Sephiroth when he invaded the Mako reactor in Nibelheim and burned down the town years later."

I looked away from her again, not wanting to see her pained expression.

"I heard about that incident, but I was still confined at the time. Were you not severely injured yourself?"

Tifa nodded, finishing her game and stepping down. "I was cut down with the Masamune by Sephiroth himself. I was only 15 and apparently, it's a miracle I lived. "

She started walking slowly towards the centre of the hall and I followed.

"I'm a bit tired of playing; I always go all out in the beginning. Is there anything you want to try?"

I shook my head. "I'm not particularly fond of arcades"

Tifa turned to look at me, her expression very surprised.

"What? Then why did you agree to come along here?"

I faced her, returning her awed gaze with a stern one. "Because you asked me to"

She smiled slightly and I felt my heart race.

"Thank you Vincent"

The rest of the evening went along quick. After playing the arcade games, Tifa and I saw a play at the Event Square, watched the ongoing tournaments in the Battle Square and finally went to the Chocobo Square to place our bets on Cloud before the races started.

"Well then, time to go" Tifa suddenly said as we finished, heading for the exit. It confused me, as the races were only minutes from starting and I uncertainly walked after her with slow steps.

"Where are you going? The races are about to start"

Tifa turned slightly and smiled at me. "I know that, I just don't want to watch it here with the crowds and all the commotion. And it's not where I am going; it's where WE are going. You're going to come along"

I swallowed, unsure what she was getting at.

"Where else can you watch the races from besides here?"

She smiled again. "I was thinking of a more secluded place. You'll see. Come on, hurry!"

She grabbed my arm and dragged me along, not granting me a single hint about her destination. Slightly stunned and obviously running out of time for questions, I decided to take the opportunity I had been granted, and followed along obediently. I was however wondering if this so called secluded spot of hers would prove to be more than I bargained for.


	4. Lady Luck Smiles

Chapter 4

"What's wrong Vincent? Don't you like it?"

I didn't know what to answer. Somewhere along the way when I realized where we were going, my mouth and brain had parted ways.

"I'm not sure if "don't like" is the most fitting description for it…" I admitted.

Tifa looked slightly troubled.

"Are you afraid of heights or something?"

I shook my head.

"No"

She smiled. "Then what's the problem? Let's just get on!"

She walked up behind me and started pushing me towards the door. I was trying to wrap my head around the current situation and I couldn't say I disliked the idea. Yet, being in such a crammed space with her for such an amount of time would test every little bit of self control I had left. I saw the attendant, as well as the others in line behind us smile and stare at us while Tifa intently pushed me inside the gondola, and I could only imagine what they were thinking. As it dawned on me that we probably looked like a couple acting this way, I felt my face heat up significantly. What on earth was I about to be dragged into? The door closed behind us and the wagon started to move forward, shaking violently as it started up. I nearly fell to the ground by the commotion, but managed after a struggle to sit down on one of the benches. Tifa giggled and sat down on the bench opposite of me.

"You sure are something Vincent. Too funny!"

I stared at her, perplexed. I might have a sense of humor hidden somewhere inside me, but I couldn't remember the last time anyone had referred to me as funny. The gondola was moving slower now and Tifa seemed to relax in her seat. I wished I could do the same, but having her so close in a place like this just made it impossible. When I looked to the floor, I noticed our knees were only inches away from touching, which didn't exactly help me calm myself. One small touch and it would probably be all over for me. Tifa looked up at me, smiling.

"Did you always look like that?"

It took me a while to register what she said.

"I beg your pardon?"

She continued to smile while staring at me. It made me slightly uncomfortable.

"I mean your hair and your clothes. Have you always looked like that?"

I nearly laughed out loud by the question.

"No, not at all. You figured I ran around as a child with a metal claw on my arm?"

She laughed, holding one hand up to her cheek.

"No, that would truly be a peculiar sight!"

I grinned to myself.

"When I was a Turk, in other words still a normal man, I looked quite different from the current me."

Tifa tilted her head to the side, observing me with curious eyes.

"Was your hair shorter back then?"

I nodded. "Yes, quite a bit. It was still quite long back then as well though but not as much as now. The shortest sections of my bangs today are probably good measurements."

"I see" Tifa said and sat back upright on her seat. I looked out through the window, checking where we were. It was still a while before we would pass over the racing tracks.

"I can't really imagine you looking any different Vincent"

I looked over at her, slightly taken aback.

"What's that all of a sudden?"

She shifted slightly in her seat, looking away from me.

"It's just that, I think you're just fine the way you are. Ordinary people are so boring! But I'm sure had I met you before, I would have liked you then as well"

She looked back at me, a small blush covering her cheeks.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that, no matter who you were and what you looked like before, I like the current you the best"

I took another peek out of the window to my right, this time to hide my embarrassment. But in the process, I noticed we nearly hadn't moved at all since the last time I checked.

"It's still far." I observed, noticing we seemed to be slowing down.

"Does the gondola usually move this slowly?"  
She too looked out of the window, grasping a glimpse of the track that was in front of us.

"Not that I can remember. You're right"

Just as Tifa was leaning towards the window pane, the gondola suddenly made a loud mechanical sound and started shaking, moving violently back and forth.

"What the heck is going on?" Tifa yelled, reaching her arms out towards the sides of the gondola to keep her balance. I looked up at the cable above the cart, which was keeping us suspended in the air. It was surrounded with small sparks, screeching violently as it kept moving slower and slower. Eventually, it came to a halt. Tifa and I exchanged glances.

"Apparently we broke down" Tifa said, staring out of the window at the ground below. "I sure hope we won't fall from here…"

I sat back down in my seat, trying to comprehend why things like this always had to happen to me. Obviously, someone up there really had to hate me. Tifa eventually returned to her bench as well, obviously bothered, but reassured we would be hanging on for at least a while longer.

"What should we do?"

I leant back towards the wooden wall behind me, crossing my arms on my chest.

"What is there to do? We wait it out" I said bluntly, preparing myself for a couple of agonizing hours. I closed my eyes so I didn't have to look at her at least. I wanted to forget she was still there, despite I knew it was impossible. Silence lingered for a long time, yet I did not know how long had passed. Probably at least an hour.

"I wonder how Cloud's race went" Tifa said, peering out the window. "I'm sure they finished a long while ago"

I stared at her, almost feeling guilty she missed the race. I knew however, that she was the one who had forced me into this, and not the other way around.

"And instead you're stuck here with me" I said, trying to avoid her harsh eyes. She stared at me with a disappointed expression.

"Aw, Vincent. You know I didn't mean it that way… It just is that way, with me and Cloud you know…"

I still kept looking away.

"If it never evolved between you and Cloud at all during these years, why do you still dwell in your affection?"

She looked at me, eyes a bit more serious.

"I don't really know to be honest… I'm just so shy and stuff, and Cloud is… well, Cloud. And I guess I just, never pictured myself being able to love anyone but him…"

I felt a sting in my stomach while a hint of jealousy scraped intensely at my heart. I tried my best at shoving it aside, yet it was almost unbearable to deal with.

"Such foolishness. You're still young and have your life ahead of you"

She looked at me with a puzzled look.

"What kind of thing is that to say? You still have many years to come yourself"

I sighed, closing my eyes tightly shut. I should have known she would say something like that.

"You're right, to some extent. I was 27 when Hojo shot me and started his experiments. That was about 35 years ago now though. But of course, you already know all about that, right? So you know, I don't just have many years to come. I have an entire eternity ahead of me"

She nodded slightly in understanding.

"I just tend to forget you're not like anybody else at times…So you haven't aged a day since then?"

I shook my head. "Not even a second. And this is how I'll stay, forever. If I'm not killed that is"

"So, the only way you can die is by being killed? Not by aging? Isn't that extremely lonely?"

I shifted slightly in my seat, a bit uncomfortable.

"Nanaki thought so too, since he is long-lived as well. I agreed to meet him once every year, so that he wouldn't be alone. I've gotten used to the loneliness and the despair, so I'm prepared to meet it regardless"

She smiled in a heartwarming manner. For the first time for as long as I could remember, I felt like blushing.

"You're free to laugh at the sentimental freak…" I said sarcastically, only trying to save myself into safer ground. I didn't mean it literally though and had she actually laughed I would probably lose my temper. This was a bit more than a sore spot for me. But as always, Tifa did not laugh at the wrong moments. She simply kept on smiling.

"Since you think I'm so foolish, still loving Cloud and all…Was it really that easy for you to get over Lucrecia?"

Finally, I had to look at her. It was certainly a question I did not expect to hear, and certainly not from her.

"I never said I stopped loving her, now, did I?"

Tifa stared at me, obviously confused. I leaned slightly forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

"What I can say though is that I simply don't see the situation the same way as you. I don't want to get over her and I don't want to forget her. Even though we lived in different worlds even before she died, I want to remember and honor her memory for as long as I live. She was an important part in my life, but I must keep moving forward."

I kept staring at the floor, smiling slightly. When I looked back up at Tifa, I felt my heart lighten a bit.

"I'm pretty sure she didn't want me put my entire life on hold and stop living, just because she couldn't love me back"

I saw my words had an impact on Tifa but I could only guess how much. No matter where she was and who she was with, I just wanted her to be happy and not stop living like I had involuntarily done. I leaned back into my seat, closing my eyes to be able to think in peace, without having to endure having Tifa's eyes on me all the time. I hoped we would soon be able to get down, as it was quite hard putting up a hard exterior around her when we were alone.

A while went before I realized I had actually dozed off. I opened an eye to check on Tifa, unknowing if I had been out for long. She was sitting hunched together on the bench with her knees pulled towards her chest. She looked up, noticing I was looking at her.

"Are you gonna laugh at me?"

I shook my head slightly. "Why should I laugh?"

She rested her chin on her knees, looking at the floor.

"How I huddle together to try to warm myself up like this, I mean. This place isn't exactly made for staying in for this long."

She fell silent, eventually starting to shiver. I knew we had been trapped for several hours but I had no idea how many.

"Can't you just transform into Chaos and fly us down?" she asked. I scoffed slightly, while the truth was I was actually relieved.

"My body no longer harbors Chaos. It returned to the planet along with Omega during my confrontation with Deepground. I'll no longer be able to transform into it"

Tifa lowered her gaze, disappointed and seemingly lost inside her own head. Now and then, shivers continued to flow through her body, making her shift in her seat. I hated to see her uncomfortable and weighed the options for a while, but none of them seemed particularly tempting. Ignoring her seemed to be the only option for now.

"Sooo cooold…" Tifa chanted silently to herself now and then, stroking her legs to try to warm them up. By the third time she had done the same ritual, believing I didn't hear her, I had had enough.

"Come here"

Tifa looked surprised up at me.

"Huh?"

"I said; get over here so you won't be cold anymore"

She seemed hesitant.

"Umm, are you sure that is alright…?"

I cut her off, not wanting to hear it. When I had finally said it, there was no refusing.

"I'm not interested in having to sit here and listen to your complaints, so get your ass over here before I force you"

Tifa looked slightly embarrassed but eventually gave in. She walked over, sitting down on the wooden bench next to me. I held out an arm and wrapped my cape around her shoulders before straightening back up.

"No more complaints now please" I said silently, trying to avoid actually showing I enjoyed it. She seemed a bit flustered yet kept smiling.

"It's weird how I always seem to dress too light, no matter the situation."

I snickered slightly. "At least they aren't as revealing as your old outfit"

She stared at me with huge eyes, her mouth wide open.

"Hey! Are you making fun of me?"

I looked away, returning to my original position with my arms crossed.

"And if I am?"

She suddenly huddled closer to me, her head resting slightly on my shoulder and wanting even more warmth. I noticed her complaints had not been without reason, as I could feel how cold she indeed was even through my clothes. However, feeling her so close like this was almost too much for me to handle, and it took all of my strength to not blow my cover. Yet somehow, I managed to stay still.

"Then I'd just be surprised to find another side of you Vincent, as I always am" she said softly, pulling her feet up from the cold floor. I noticed a smile crept over her lips as she closed her eyes.

"I'd never figure that the person who actually understood me the most would in the end prove to be you. Really, you're not a cold person at all. On the contrary; you're warm. Really warm... And thanks for offering to warm me up. I'm really grateful"

I scoffed slightly, as if it didn't matter much. But I had to admit that this current scene was pretty far off from what I had pictured when I first told her to come over. It was hard being this torn and I could only hope the gondola would get us both back down soon. At the same time, I still felt something, hidden away deep inside of me, which was wishing a moment like this with her, could go on forever. As I heard her breath slowly subside as she drifted off to sleep, I dared moving my arm around her shoulder, granting her better space and bringing her closer to me. As I held her sleeping form like this, pressed lightly against my chest, I realized there was nothing more I could do to convince myself differently. I really did love her. And even if hell froze over and the heavens would fall to the ground, there was nothing that could ever make me feel differently.


	5. An Unsuspected Turn of Events

Chapter 5

I woke up with a start, slightly disorientated. I had no idea for how long I had slept, yet it didn't feel like that long. I noticed we were moving now and peered out of the window for a better view. We were nearly back down on the ground, which both reassured me and disappointed me at the same time. I looked over at Tifa, who was still sleeping on my shoulder and immediately felt my insides heat up in joy. It was really a pity it couldn't last. Secretly, I had yearned for a moment like this together with her for a very long time, but I would never have the guts to confess it to her or anyone else for that matter. Because after that, what came next? And how could she just forget her love for Cloud, just like that? I didn't even know much about my feelings myself, but at least I knew they were genuine. I just wanted to see her happy, no matter what it took. But how could she be happy together with me? What did I have to offer her but suffering?

A few minutes later, the gondola entered the pavilion and started to shake from side to side as it slowed down. There were a few people standing on the platform, obviously workers hired to help us out, but other than that the area looked very empty. It had probably been sealed off once the gondola broke down. I wondered if this happened a lot around here. A clock outside the building showed it was already way past midnight, which meant we had been stuck in the gondola for nearly three hours. It must have been one heck of a problem.

"Vincent…?"

I looked over at Tifa, who apparently had awoken by all the commotion around us. She was looking at me with gentle yet slightly confused eyes, and it took me a while to register why. I suddenly noticed I still had my arm around her and in my panic I jumped away from her, a bit more sudden than I had planned to. She continued to stare at me, slightly taken aback, obviously wondering what was up with me. I felt my heart sink in defeat.

"Sorry…" I said, referring to both of my actions, not daring to look at her. She didn't say anything in reply and my worry grew that she had managed to see through me. Then again, even an idiot could probably have at the current moment, as my approach had been all other than discrete. She tried moving closer to me, putting an arm on my shoulder.

"Vincent… what's wrong?"

I got up from my seat the moment her hand touched me, positioning myself at the door. I wanted to escape; I needed to get out as fast as possible. Or else, I had no idea what would happen. To my greatest relief, the gondola suddenly came to a halt and the doors opened. I was free to go. I walked outside, and it felt wonderful to finally be back on safe ground. I had no time to enjoy it though and simply brushed past the attendant, who was eagerly apologizing at me for the inconvenience. She had no idea, I told myself. I continued to walk as fast as I managed through the hallway, cursing myself for being so careless. It didn't take long though, before I heard footsteps behind me, running after me.

"Vincent, wait! Vincent!"

I ignored her while I kept on walking. I had no answers for her now. None I wanted her to know anyway. I didn't get much further before she caught up with me and grabbed my sleeve, pulling me to a halt. I stopped, yet kept my back turned towards her. What was there for me to say after a situation like that? There was nothing I could do to make up a lie now.

"Please Vincent… stop running away…" she pleaded. The sadness in her voice was evident, yet it surprised me that she still did not seem to understand. When I didn't reply or turn around, she let go of my arm and walked around me to be able to look me in the eye. I however, kept my gaze stern and directed at the floor.

"What is it that you're running away from?" she demanded.

"I figured that's pretty obvious by now" I replied, refusing to look at her.

"I don't understand" Her voice was becoming desperate now. "What's the matter with us? I don't-"

"Don't you get it; it's not about THEM at all!" I yelled, cutting her off, simply unable to contain myself any longer. I immediately regretted it though and turned on my heel to walk away, but Tifa once again grabbed my arm. I flinched at her touch. This entire deal was becoming increasingly painful for me.

"Vincent…?"

By now, my emotions had reached its limit and I felt anger boil within my veins. I spun around, slamming my fist into the wall located directly behind her, pushing her all they way up against it. She looked completely petrified by my sudden anger, not even daring to take her eyes away from mine as I hovered over her. About a few centimeters from her head, my claw had penetrated the wall slightly, creating a large scar cut into the stone. It hurt like hell, yet it was impossible for me to sense it completely at the moment.

"Tifa, you have to STOP this…" I said calmly, trying to seem more collected than I indeed was.

"If you continue acting like this I… I won't be able to stop myself…"

I removed my fist from the wall, loosening a few fragments of the stone as I did so. They fell to the ground with small, sharp thuds, which sounded painfully loud in the pressing silence that now followed. I was pondering about my next move when I suddenly heard footsteps from behind us. I turned my head and was met with a pair of mako-tainted eyes. Who else had to find us at a time like this? The situation was getting ridiculous.

"What is going on…?" Cloud said, giving me a stern look. I backed away from the terrified Tifa, trying to seem less guilty than I indeed felt. He came up to me, grabbed my shirt and forcefully pushed me up towards the wall behind us. Despite I had him when regards to height and probably could take him out pretty easily at least now when he was unarmed, I didn't resist. I let him get out his anger on me, as the entire deal was mainly my fault to begin with. If it was one thing I wanted to avoid, it was a fight with Cloud.

"What did you do Vincent?" he screamed at me, tugging at my collar. I didn't respond and his eyes darted over to Tifa, looking for an answer there. Tifa however, still seemed stunned and slowly sank to her knees on the cold floor, eyes empty and somewhat lifeless. Cloud immediately let go of me, ran over to her and put his arms around her, trying to support her as best he could. I felt horrible.

"Tifa! Are you okay?"

When she didn't respond either, he looked back at me.

"Answer me! What the hell did you do to her?"

I looked away, not wanting to show him the painful expression I now bore. How on earth did it turn out like this? Cloud returned his attention to Tifa, who still hadn't said a word. I immediately felt regret towards agreeing to this entire deal. If I only had declined at that time back in Edge and Seventh Heaven, I wouldn't be in this mess now. Before Cloud had the chance to look at me again, I had already disappeared. I had once more succeeded in pushing Tifa away and back into Cloud's arms. Then again, maybe I had actually done her a favor this time. Getting Cloud's attention and concern seemed to be the only way she could be really happy. I guess I was a fool for thinking otherwise.

A few hours passed by before I saw Cloud once more. He had been spending some time with Tifa, probably making sure she wasn't too upset by my actions. I lay on the soft bed with my hands behind my head, trying to get some sleep. It proved nearly impossible however as the scenes from me and Tifa's night out kept playing in my mind, again and again, until I was about to go insane. I tormented myself for the way I had lost it at the end, and even more by the fact that Tifa still did not seem to understand what I actually ended up telling her. I knew she was a bit naïve, yet I had never pictured she actually could be dense in some areas as well. Because of all these matters to think about, it was no surprise to me that I was still up by the time Cloud came to our room. I peeked over at his expression, trying to read from it what I should prepare myself for. What seemed most likely was that I was in for a decent scolding. His expression now however, stated otherwise. He looked remarkably content and it puzzled me endlessly. He sat down on his bed, looking into the floor in front of him.

"I thought you hurt her" he said, a hint of sadness in his voice. I didn't know if I should react in shock or burst out in laughter.

"Thanks for the trust…"

He turned slightly. "You have no idea how that scene looked like to a spectator, Vincent! And you two were missing for almost three hours! Of course I became worried!"

I closed my eyes slightly, wishing Cloud would turn the volume of his voice down a bit.

"It's not like I'm to blame for the breakdown. She was the one who dragged me along"

Cloud nodded slightly. "I know, she told me downstairs… But the look on her face was just so… agonizing. I couldn't take it"

I lay still, trying not to move.

"You were with her just now, weren't you? Was she awfully shook up?"

Cloud looked away. "Apparently not, whatever it was that happened. She wanted company but she didn't talk much about the incident at all. She told me to leave after a little while though. Said she needed some time alone"

I felt my heart sink. Of course she wanted company. His company.

"Don't you think you're giving her false hope?" I said bitterly, hating how she always seemed to end up back in the arms of someone who didn't have the ability love her back. Cloud seemed to catch on quickly, which didn't surprise me. He wasn't stupid.

"She's important to me Vincent. Of course I can't leave her alone if she wants me near"

"Then tell me, once and for all loud and clear…" I started, sitting up slightly. When I looked back at him, it was hard to not seem angry.

"What is Tifa to you?"

He looked over at me, a worried manner coloring his face. Before he spoke, he let out a deep sigh.

"You know, it's not easy for me either Vincent, dealing with all of this… Because I care so much for her, yet, I know she cares for me in a different way… It's hard to tell someone that you can't return their feelings. I don't want her to hate me"

He stopped for a brief moment, eyes slightly dazed.

"I realize this turn of events the years brought on is highly ironic, as I in the first place wanted to join Shinra and SOLDIER to impress Tifa…"

I lowered my head slightly, grinning to myself. Cloud remained an unsolved mystery it seemed, even to himself.

"So you avoid the topic and let her off with false hope instead?"

Cloud started shaking his head slightly, obviously bothered.

"No, that is not my intention at all! I just can't say it… I don't want to hurt her"

I looked over at him.

"Do you think she's better off living her life like this as your shadow for the rest of her days, hoping for affections she will never experience?"

Cloud didn't answer, obviously bothered by the topic. I decided not to pursue it further.

"I really don't know how the topic trailed off in that direction, but I still have an unanswered question for you. What was it that you told her?"

I kept staring at him, trying my best to appear as if I was indifferent.

"When?"

Cloud sighed. "You know, when I interrupted you guys earlier. Tifa refused to tell me "

I felt a sting in my chest. Did that actually mean she had understood after all?

"If Tifa didn't tell you, I'm sure I don't have to either. I don't want to belittle her feelings"

To my greatest surprise, Cloud grinned to himself.

"You sure seem to understand her character well"

I scoffed, once more acting as if it didn't matter. I was surprised with how hard it was becoming.

"She's a good girl. That's about it."

Cloud looked over at me, smiling.

"You know what they say; the good girls always end up falling in love with the bad-guys"

I stared at him in surprise, confused where a statement such as that came from.

"Are you a bad guy all of a sudden?"

He laughed. "I guess, in some ways. But it wasn't exactly my point at the current moment"

I kept staring at him, completely clueless about what he was getting at.

"You're really confusing, you know that?"

Cloud looked away, yet his smile stayed in place.

"That coming from you is just hilarious really. I'm just relieved it wasn't as serious as it first seemed back then Vincent. You are an important friend and ally to the crew, whether you like it or not."

I stared out into the empty space in front of me, as if it was of some significant interest to me. It was a miracle I still felt affinity to Cloud, even after all this time and all these inner conflicts of mine. Something told me there was just no getting rid of him any time soon. Had I categorized that as a bad thing though, it would without a doubt be a lie. I gently slid back onto the bed, my head cushioned by the soft pillow behind me. Cloud followed me with his eyes, smirking slightly.

"I'd hate having to kick your sorry ass for treachery"

I grinned, putting my hands behind my head.

"Heh… As if I'd ever lose to you"


	6. What He Had Missed

Chapter 6

I was alone in the darkness, unable to escape the pressing menace now surrounding me.

_Where was I?_

I looked around but saw nothing, almost feeling as if my eyes were obscured despite open. As I started to walk I suddenly saw Cloud standing in front of me, smiling slightly. My heart immediately raced and I felt my body fill up with a strong sense of relief. At least it meant that I wasn't alone in this place. Suddenly, Cloud turned around and started walking away with determined steps into the darkness ahead. I ran after him, slightly surprised and bewildered why he was simply leaving me behind. I ran faster, calling his name but my voice wouldn't utter a single sound. No matter how much I tried, my voice would not obey me and eventually Cloud started to fade more and more from my sight. I ran with all my strength, yet I didn't seem to get any closer to him. Soon I couldn't see him at all. I stopped, panting and gasping for air. Had he really not noticed me? I could swear he looked straight at me, giving me one of those rare yet painfully emotional smiles he sometimes bore. I had depended on him for so many times in the past, wanting to believe that no matter what happened he would keep the promise he made to me as children. That my hero would come to save me no matter what, if I ever was in danger. Yet, once again he had proven to me how hopelessly far away from me he indeed was. No matter what happened, there would always be a sort of barrier circling Cloud and his mind, keeping him forever cut off from everyone else. Even me.

I sat down on the dark ground, clenching my knees towards my chest to feel as safe as possible. The ground felt hard but without any specific texture or temperature. Despite not feeling any warmth or cold from my surroundings, I couldn't help but feel a bit chilled. If it was due to my loneliness or despair rather than the actual temperature in this place however, I did not know. As I waited, a sudden yet warm emotion filled my body and I looked up to see if anyone was around. I couldn't see anything or anyone, but somehow I could feel the presence of another being. I got to my feet and started to walk towards what my intuition told me to, without a clue if I was doing the right thing or not. All I knew was that in that direction there were warmth and I didn't have to be alone anymore. Only a truly pitiful person could be able to feel loneliness as much as I did, despite being surrounded by so many people who cared for me. Despite that fact, I knew that I needed to find that missing piece of myself; that piece who would complete everything. It was with that in mind that I ran now, hoping that somewhere in the end of this dark abyss, everything would become clear to me. But what was waiting ahead? And who…?

I slowly opened my eyes hazily, a bit confused at what was going on around me. All around were commotion and a weak light shimmered at me from one of the windows, teasing my eyes into waking up. Despite my light sleep and disturbing dreams, I felt like I had just woken up from the safety of a warm bed. I blinked slowly to adjust my sight, suddenly remembering where I was. The gondola seemed to finally be on its way down, despite all the hours we had spent in it.

_That was right, where was he?_

I looked down and saw a crimson cape delicately wrapped around me, suddenly so less menacing that it usually seemed wrapped around its owner. The pillow I had rested on for so long was indeed not a pillow at all and I slowly dared to look up to his face, wanting to make sure I weren't still dreaming. And indeed, Vincent was awake and luckily, seemed unaware of my eyes on him. It was not until he shifted slightly in his seat however, that I noticed his arm was placed protectively around me. The feeling of being snuggled up against him like this surprised me, despite the fact that I had probably been the one who had forced him into it. But seeing him as accepting as this towards taking care of me and not seeming to be bothered at all by my presence, gave me a type of feeling it had been long since I had felt before. He had to have been the reason for the reassuring feeling I had gotten in my dream as well. I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, being in a situation like this together with him. Surely, would we not now easily pass as a couple had anyone seen us? And what would Cloud have said? I shut my eyes tightly, not wanting to think about Cloud. My life had for too long revolved around what Cloud would have wanted me to do and don't, and it had only brought me feelings of loneliness and despair. Was it not time for me to stop running soon? Because when I kept running so hard towards Cloud, did I not in reality run away from everyone else?

"Vincent…?"

Vincent suddenly lowered his gaze, slightly surprised and looked at me. I felt my heart jump slightly as our eyes met. He immediately seemed troubled and removed his arm from its protective stance around me and jumped to the far end of the bench.

"Sorry…" he muttered, gaze lowered towards the wooden floor in front of him. I was slightly alarmed by his reaction, not sure if it was due to his embarrassment or the fact that he could now be relived from his duties. I had to admit that even though I was unaware if he meant more to me than just a close friend; it pained me a bit seeing how he suddenly was back to normal and shutting himself off from me once more. I tried moving closer to him, wanting to reassure him.

"Vincent, what's wrong…?"

I tried touching his shoulder but he immediately moved away, now standing up. He walked over towards the door, obviously troubled. I felt my heart race in confusion and despair, wanting to know why he was suddenly so eager to escape from me. Before I could say anything more, the gondola came to a halt and the door opened. Vincent was outside before I could blink and I scrambled to my feet to go after him. I ran with all my might past the staff on the platform, seeing Vincent's cape brush a corner further up ahead. I yelled all my voice could manage, wanting him to stop.

"Vincent, wait! Vincent!" But it was of no use. Vincent showed no signs of wanting to slow down and I felt myself grow slightly desperate. What had I done to make him act this way? Eventually I managed to catch up with him and grabbed his sleeve, not sure if he would brush me off or not. He did stop, yet didn't turn around to face me. I lowered my gaze slightly, clinging to his sleeve with two fingers.

"Please Vincent…stop running away"

He didn't respond, which made me even more worried. I walked around to his front, hoping I could establish some sort of connection by being face to face with him. No matter how hard I tried though, his gaze remained solid and anchored to the floor. I sighed.

"What is it that you're running away from?" I said, trying to sound sterner than I felt like. To my surprise, he actually answered.

"I figured that's pretty obvious by now"

He still refused to look at me. It gave me an eerie feeling. But I was sick of him always shutting himself off from both me and the others. So this time, I wanted to the depths of it.

"I don't understand" I started, unable to hide the pressing sadness that was about to consume me. "What's the matter with us? I don't-"

Before I could finish the sentence, a pair of crimson eyes exploded in my face.

"Don't you get it; it's not about THEM at all!" He yelled. I was so taken aback by his sudden outburst that it took me a few seconds to regain my speech, but by then he had turned around to leave again. I reached out a hand and managed to grab his arm before he tried disappearing from me again. I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't want him to leave me. At least not like this.

"Vincent…?" I pleaded one last time, confused about what I had done to make him act like this. He suddenly turned around and I saw a blur of metal as he slammed his golden claw into the brick wall behind me. It all happened so quickly I could hardly react but parts of me doubted that I would even have been able to resist. His strength and aura was simply stunning and I could only watch in awe at the crimson eyes now hovering over me. What shocked me the most however was not their menacing powers; it was how incredibly gentle they were. "Tifa, you have to STOP this…" he started, his voice much more emotional than it usually was. I held my breath, unable to even blink.

"If you continue acting like this I… I won't be able to stop myself…"

My heart skipped and I felt my knees get weaker. There was something in his eyes and something in his voice when he said it, which made me wanting to just run into his arms and hug him. The distance between us was indeed short, but there was something about Vincent that was completely different from normal. The regular barrier he used to keep around himself was gone and I found it remarkably inviting to cross the now open border. What kept me from actually doing it though, was my own surprise over actually feeling that way.

Before I could figure out anything to say in reply, Vincent's words suddenly hit a spot within me and all my questions from these past weeks about him suddenly became clear. He had not been bothered by the company of us as a group at all; rather it was simply because of a single individual. Me. Because he liked me. My knees finally gave in on me and I slid to the ground, mind racing and emotions nearly driving me insane. I could hear somebody talking around me, yet it was hard to make out who they were and what they were saying. As I tried to comprehend all of these new revelations and tried to understand what my own feelings were trying to tell me, I suddenly realized Cloud was kneeling down beside me. He looked worried and I stared at him in surprise, slightly dazed.

"Cloud…? What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you of course, stupid! When you guys didn't return, we all became worried about you. And then I find Vincent here…" He turned around to pinpoint his target, and I too suddenly became aware that Vincent wasn't standing beside me anymore. Instead, he was gone.

"Huh" Cloud snorted, obviously annoyed. "I guess the bastard took off"

I felt slightly agitated at his words. "Don't call him a bastard Cloud…" I said silently, feeling a bit shy all of a sudden. Cloud stared at me in disbelief.

"Don't defend him Tifa, just tell me what he did to you! Something obviously happened and I want to know what!" I looked away, starting to get back into control of myself. I felt like I had just been in a coma.

"He didn't hurt me, honestly. I was the one who dragged him out like I did and I guess I just went a bit over his border… You know Vincent"

Cloud didn't look too convinced. "You call nearly getting your head sliced into strands "a bit over Vincent's border? And you're right, I do know him. He would never simply do something like that at whim, so there has to be a reason for it"

I lowered my gaze, annoyed how Cloud always seemed to see through every strand of complicated situations I had ever gotten myself into. He saw everything, except for the things located straight before his eyes. When I didn't answer, he tilted his head slightly to the side, brows raised.

"Was it really so bad that you can't tell me?"

I shook my head, feeling slightly uncomfortable. It was weird how everyone's business always seemed to be Cloud's business.

"For once, I just don't feel like telling you Cloud, to be honest… That's all"

Cloud's gaze lost its stern appearance for a split second, obviously a bit taken aback by my sudden secrecy. In the past I would always confide in him whenever I had a problem or something that worried me, which probably helped contribute to him seeing us as siblings. I had however realized that I needed to get him at a distance, at least on a mental stage on my part. After all these years clinging onto something that wasn't real, I knew I had to move forward. After finally managing to speak honestly for once to him, I found myself having a hard time not laughing at his expression. He seemed utterly defeated and he might as well have held up a sign stating "K.O'd." I immediately felt a bit better, knowing I wouldn't have to admit anything to Cloud. I could only hope that he understood but I had to admit it was a bit fun, winning over him for once.

"Do you need a phoenix down?" I said while smiling slightly, wanting to at least try to show him there were no hard feelings involved. He seemed to relax more the instant, much to my relief.

"Okay, you win Tifa. You got me" He smiled, while grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet.

"I'm just relieved nothing bad happened to you. After all, I'm the very reason you're all here too right now."

I grinned slightly to myself. Usually, Cloud was so timid about his abilities, but sometimes around me he seemed more confident. It was probably partly my fault though.

"How did the race go anyway?"

He looked at me as we walked alongside each other, heading back towards the Ghost Square. I had to admit I was exhausted.

"You didn't get to see it at all? Well, I came second actually. I'm a bit disappointed but not as much as I usually am after a loss"

I smiled. "What for?"

"Joe and Teioh participated. He's the one who came first, so I'm not that irritated about it, really. Bastard's hard to beat"

I nodded my head slightly, brushing back a stray lock of hair that fell out of its place.

"Yeah, Joe is one skilled jockey and Teioh is simply a stunning Chocobo. He must be a talented breeder"

Soon, we arrived outside of the hotel in the Ghost Square. Cloud stopped in front of me, wondering about our next move.

"You do realize that I share a room with Vincent, right?"

I smiled slightly, heart fluttering as I thought about what we had experienced together. Not to even mention what he had told me before we parted.

"Yeah… It's fine, really. I thought we agreed upon that nothing bad happened?"

Cloud still seemed a bit unsure. "Hey, Tifa, I know SOMETHING happened. You just don't want to tell me what. So I can't really shake my worries away just like that."

I felt a bit guilty but immediately tried to shake the feeling away. I knew I didn't owe Cloud anything, and this was simply a situation I needed to work out myself. But there were still one more thing I wanted to ask him before I left. I sat down on a bench outside the hotel and gestured Cloud to join me. The bench was very small so we ended up sitting very close to each other, but I didn't feel the usual tension I tended to feel when he was this close to me.

"Cloud?"

He looked over at me. "Yes?"

"Did you ever love Aerith?"

Cloud hesitated, obviously a bit unprepared for the question. When he looked back at me, it was with a doubtful expression.

"To be honest, I don't know… I cared for her, but it's hard to sort out if I cared more for her than others. I've been so worked up with my guilt for not being able to protect her or Zack, so I guess I thought it would become clearer when I had atoned for my sins. But I have to admit that I still don't know"

I nodded slightly, understanding what he meant. Though Cloud didn't always display his feelings on the outside, I knew there were few things or people that he didn't treasure. I managed to smile at him, surprised how my regular jealousy seemed to be less than usual.

"I can admit one thing before I leave for the night. Vincent was agitated about something we talked about and he ended up telling me something that was quite shocking. That's all that happened, but please don't bother him about it. It's fine, really."

Cloud eventually nodded. "Alright, I'll try to leave it at that"

When I turned around to walk back to my room, my heart fluttered slightly and I felt happier than I had done in a long time. I didn't really know what it meant, but I knew for sure that I looked forward to seeing Vincent the next day. I only hoped that he wouldn't run away from me like he had done today, but that had been partly my fault. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice whispered silently and I felt it echo inside my entire being.

_What would have happened between us had Cloud not interrupted us?_

That was something I did not dare to imagine just yet.


	7. Confrontation

Chapter 7

The next day, Cloud had already left when I woke up. His race was scheduled early in the day so he had to be off before everyone else to prepare. I knew however, that Yuffie, Nanaki and Barret had accompanied him to help out. Parts of me was relieved knowing I wouldn't have to bump into Yuffie this early in the morning, but still I felt a bit nervous since I knew I had to encounter them all sooner or later. I still didn't know exactly how things were between me and Tifa and I really doubted that I would be able to pretend as if nothing happened without being rude. In other words, I had never wished for an easy escape more than I did at this point. This proved to be rather impossible however, as I had barely left my room before I had my first random encounter. This time, to my relief, it was Barret.

"Yo Vinnie! You up already?"

I nodded my head slightly in reply, a bit confused why he was still here.

"Haven't Cloud left already? I thought you were supposed to go with him"

Barret scratched his scalp slightly with his metal hand, as if my question needed a thorough amount of thought. Marlene peeked out from behind him before he got a chance to answer, taking the word.

"Cloud left about half an hour ago. Change of plans" she said while smiling shyly at me, and I grinned slightly in return to reassure her. Despite she was becoming of age, her sweet personality never seemed to change and no matter who she met, she seemed to be liked by everyone; even me. Maybe it was because of her feminine traits, which was obviously influenced by both Tifa and Aerith, whom she adored endlessly.

Barret looked down at the fair little girl at his side in a way that only a parent can, and ruffled her hair gently.

"Right you are little one."

He looked back up at me. "We were just about to go on a little errand for Cloud together with Cid on the Shera. Apparently, Cloud needs something from the Chocobo Farm that he forgot, so we are gonna go fetch it all for him. Ya wanna join?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly, a bit suspicious. Cloud forgetting something like this just didn't seem right.

"What is it that he needs?"

Barret continued to scratch his scalp.

"Oh, ya know... chocobo-stuff. Apparently, he didn't bring his best one either and since Joe is competin' he'll need it after all to have a chance at winning today. So what'll it be Vinnie? Ya got some free time to help out?"

Despite my doubts, I didn't need long to think through my options. Either it was going with them or having to stay here on my own, with a large possibility of running into the ever too enthusiastic Yuffie way too early in the morning, only to be dragged off to help her out instead. I nodded slightly once more to show that I agreed, despite something still told me that there had to be a catch.

"Alright, I'll come along"

Barret smiled. "Great! We could use some more manpower on this trip! Especially since we have a lot to do once we get there. I'm sure it'll be fine though!"

He hit me forcefully in the back before marching down the hallway, Marlene skipping next to him to keep up with his pace. I coughed slightly, trying to act tougher than I was. Barret's touch always seemed to knock the air out of most people.

"We'll meet outside the Saucer at 11:00 sharp! And don't be late!"

Marlene turned slightly, waving to me with one hand.

"Yeah, don't forget Vincent! Tifa is already there and you know she hates it when she has to wait!"

Barret frantically shushed at her before dragging her out of my sight, their whispering eventually fading down the hallway. My heart sank into the dark abyss that was my stomach at her words, realizing I had dug myself deeper into the ground than I was before.

_So I wasn't let off the hook that easily after all._

I simply hoped I would be able to keep a straight face if I were to encounter Tifa, and that there weren't anything more behind Marlene's words than what it seemed. It was hard enough for me to deal with this situation with just myself and Tifa involved, and if anyone else decided to stick their noses into our business, I really didn't know what I would do. But as I walked towards the exit to wait for the departure, I couldn't help but wonder who had set this entire thing off. Had Tifa spilled the beans to Cloud after all, despite how he pretended to not know anything? Or had he simply seen through me? I guess I would get to know the answers sooner than I probably could realize now, but I wasn't entirely sure if I liked the directions things were going.

* * *

After a while flying on the Shera, Cid, Barret and I arrived at the Chocobo Farm. According to Cid, we needed to restock a few supplies as well as bring Cloud's most priced and well-bred chocobo, Flower, back to the Gold Saucer with us. Flower was Cloud's current only gold chocobo and was kept together in the field together with the rest of the chocobos Cloud had at the farm. She was therefore highly idolized by the rest of the herd and separating her from the rest could sometimes become quite an issue. Because of this, Barret, Cid and I all had to be inside the pen at once, trying to keep the herd busy while we separated Flower from them and got her outside.

Tifa waited outside the pen to close the gate once we got Flower out. I hadn't gotten the chance to speak with her as she arrived outside when we were already in our positions. I was also a bit nervous and I feared that if I were to meet her eye, it would be more than I could handle. At least I needed to keep my cool, until this ordeal was over.

We immediately noticed however, that separating our target from the rest of her herd was going to be all other than easy.

The other chocobos immediately clustered around Flower, realizing that we were about to take their favorite member away, which made it really hard for us to get her outside without letting the others slip by at the same time. I was standing guard a few feet away from the gates as Barret and Cid herded the pack. When Flower would attempt to run outside, Tifa would catch her and I was to cut off the rest of the herd by scaring them back into the pen, preventing them from running after her.

Caught up in my current waiting-game, I couldn't keep myself from peeking over at Tifa standing on the other side of the fence a few meters away. Always so composed and always so happy, she shone as she always did, making the surrounding mountains and beautiful scenery seem gray and dull in comparison. I had never thought I would ever meet a woman as beautiful or wonderful as Lucrecia, but apparently, fate still had surprises in store for me. The day I encountered Cloud and the others and joined them on their quest to find Sephiroth, I had never thought it would grant me more than relief from some of my uncountable sins. Least of all the options and possible scenarios, I had never expected to actually be able to love someone again.

Tifa suddenly looked over at me, her reddish eyes meeting with my crimson. She smiled slightly, which made my insides twist in agony and pleasure at the same time. She had no idea what she did to me by simply existing.

"Hey, VINNIE! Look out!"

I was suddenly brought back to the real world by the sound of Cid's yelling. I turned my head to see a stampede of chocobos heading straight for me and I realized I had reacted too slowly. Flower, seeing me as simply an object blocking her path, nearly ran me down before I managed to dodge her. Trying to save the situation, I quickly jumped in front of the rest of the herd, hoping they would stop before they reached the gate. Luckily for me, only one chocobo failed to stop and it crashed into me, sending me face first to the ground.

It darted out of the pen and past Tifa, who was holding onto Flower. She hurried over to the gate and slammed it shut, in case that more of the chocobos decided to make a daring escape, before she bound Flower to the fence and jumped inside, heading towards me.

I scrambled to an upright position on the ground, head spinning a bit. It had been one hell of an impact.

"Vincent, are you alright?"

I nodded my head slightly, blinking a few times. "I'm fine"

Cid and Barret approached us, both of them looking slightly surprised by the scene they had just witnessed.

"What the hell happened, Vincent? One of the black ones managed to escape because you weren't paying attention! Cloud will have your head!"

I staggered to my feet, a bit embarrassed. This complicated things a bit as I hadn't counted on having to chase a stray chocobo all over the area when I had agreed to come along with them. Never the less, it seemed to just become one of those days and there was nothing I could do about it. It was my fault and I had to make up for it, hopefully before Cloud found out.

"Don't worry, I'll go look for it. It won't go far without its herd, being a black chocobo so it'll seek us out soon. I'll make sure it gets back safe"

Barret scoffed slightly. "Yeah, you'd better or else Cloud will kill you. He's spent ages and tons of gil on the little buggers"

Cid went over to the gate and opened it, before taking Flower by her halter.

"We'll finish up here and load Flower and the other supplies on board the ship in the meantime. There's still some time left before we're gonna be ready so you should have at least a little while to locate it. "

I nodded and turned on my heel to walk off, wanting to locate the stray chocobo as fast as I could. I didn't get far though, before I heard a voice behind me.

"Wait, Vincent!"

I turned to see Tifa run after me, and eventually, she caught up.

"I'll go with you. The plains are vast so it'll be faster if we search for it together."

I felt a bittersweet sensation tingle in my guts at her words, both grateful and a bit cornered at the same time. At least this meant that she wasn't repulsed by me, despite our last confrontation. Tifa however, seemed as calm and collected as she ever was, as if nothing ever happened.

"If we follow its tracks, it shouldn't take long for us to locate it."

I nodded slightly, wondering if this was such a good idea. Not only did being around her put extensive pressure on me, but the direction of the tracks was a bit unsettling. For every minute that ticked by, we came a little bit closer to the Marshlands leading up to the Mythril Mine, which was an area you'd normally avoid on foot if you were a sane person. Due to the highly dangerous species of serpents that dwelled in the Marshlands, it was nearly impossible to cross the area without riding a chocobo, as normal humans weren't nearly as fast as one of them. As if she could read my mind, Tifa eventually spoke again.

"I don't like the looks of this Vincent… We're nearly at the edge of the Marshlands now, and the tracks keep on going. I really hope the chocobo is okay…"

I nodded again, a bit uncertain what to answer. All this mess was, after all, my fault. I'd hate to see one of Cloud's prized chocobos being eaten by a Midgar Zolom.

"Yeah. It ran off because of me so I really want to make up for it"

Tifa smiled slightly, though apparently more to herself than me. "Sorry about that…"

I looked at her. "What are you apologizing for?"

Her gaze wandered away from me, a faint shimmer of pink started to color her cheeks.

"I guess I am because I am partly responsible for that"

I felt a sting in my stomach, face getting hotter by the second. So she had understood, despite my doubts. She did realize my feelings for her. I should have known that she wasn't that stupid but parts of me were still very surprised by more than one matter. Why was she pushing herself so hard on me, if she already knew the truth? Didn't it bother her?

I hid what I could of my face in my collar, trying to act indifferent. We had now crossed into the Marshlands and I immediately felt my instincts attempt to sharpen. This was dangerous territory and a dangerous place to be taken off guard.

"There is no reason for you to apologize, Tifa…"

I was surprised how hard it was to keep my voice calm and collected. In reality I wanted to shout until my vocal cord tore.

"I'm sorry it's turned out like this."

Tifa looked over at me, smiling slightly. I however, didn't dare to meet her eyes.

"Are you really that sorry about feeling that way…?"

Her voice bore a faint hint of sadness and I didn't really know what I should answer her. Of course my feelings for her meant a lot to me, but when I was so uncertain about what it did to her, I just couldn't be completely open-hearted towards her. What could she do? She had Cloud in her heart.

When I didn't reply, Tifa too fell silent. I realized I had probably acted hurtful towards her but I didn't know what I could say to relive her. No matter what I chose to do, either it was hurting her or admitting everything clearly to her, it would still result in negativity on one or another part. She stopped walking for a moment, gaze lowered towards the ground. I watched her from a few feet away, not daring to walk over to her.

"Vincent…?"

I watched as she started to walk forward slowly, not sure if I should follow or not.

"Yes?"

"Do you really love me?"

I felt my heart sting at her words, as if it had been pierced by them. I had imagined many times how it would be if she were to find out the truth and confront me with the matter, yet nothing could compare to the actual situation. Now that we were standing at this point, I felt more scared than I had ever done in my life as I recalled it before. Was there a chance that my reply could ruin our relationship forever? Torn between not wanting to admit anything in case it repelled her, and denying the entire deal but possibly make matters easier for her, I had a hard time deciding what to answer. No matter what answer I chose, it seemed like there was no possibility for things to end up good for the both of us. How honest I in reality wanted to be, the thought of losing Tifa was simply too much for me to handle. If it meant I had to sacrifice my feelings in order to be with her as a friend, it was what I had to do.

_But did that make it the right thing to do?_

"I…"

Having chosen the words I really wanted to use, I was pretty amazed by how hard it was to utter them as I knew they would be false. I felt like a child, scared of losing something dear to me, and I was wondering how my existence would be had she actually left me for good. Being filled with so many feelings saddened me even more, as I realized there were so many things I didn't know about myself. How could I even be sure I had ever been a child? I had so little to give other people, yet I needed nothing back either. There was only one thing in the world that I wanted; and it was her.

"I do…"

I knew it was my voice that spoke, yet it didn't feel like it was me who uttered the words. Although I had figured it would be harder to admit the truth to her, I had ended up just spilling the words at whim, and probably at a bad time as well. But somehow, it just seemed impossible to lie to her about this now. Surprised by my own honesty, I didn't know where to put my eyes. The entire deal had gone way too far on my behalf and I could only wait for the judgment that waited.

Tifa however, still hadn't turned towards me and I could only guess what went through her mind. In the worst possible case, this could be the last time we ever would spend time alone again.

"You're honest, I can tell, but…" she started, finally turning towards me. I was amazed I dared to look her in the eye.

"But I don't understand why you keep acting as if it's yet another one of your sins… Is loving me really such a crime to you that you have to distance yourself from me to the point where I can't even be around you anymore? You have no idea how hard I've struggled to keep simply in touch with you Vincent!"

I felt a sting in my stomach. She was right. While I was trying to take her feelings into consideration, I had ended up hurting her regardless.

"It's hard when you act this way… Why can't you simply let yourself love me…?"

I looked at the ground, feeling even guiltier than I had before. Somehow, I couldn't find the words I wanted to tell her, the words that were needed to make her understand. But did they even exist? And if they did, were they not simply excuses I made to defend my own weakness?

Eventually, Tifa seemed to have had enough of my attitude and turned on her heel to run, leaving me behind alone. I cursed under my breath, balling my fists tightly together in rage at myself for being so narrow-minded. Not once had I ever stopped to really reflect on her feelings, but rather told myself she was indifferent when it came to me. I should have known better than to neglect her that way without giving her a reason, but did that very reason not also repel her from me? At least when she worked so hard to try to make me come back to them, she had an excuse to keep being in my company. If I would say I hadn't played upon that fact at least a little once in a while, I would definitely be lying. However, this time I refused to concede defeat. Determined, I started to run after her as fast as I could manage through the damp marshlands, suddenly wanting to admit everything to her. At least if this was the way things were going to end up, I wanted her to understand my motives for it.

I called out her name as loud as I could but she kept on going, ignoring my calls. After a while however, it seemed that my persistence paid off, as Tifa came to a halt further up ahead. Once she finally stopped, it didn't take long before I caught up with her and I cautiously approached her, this time in no doubt over what I would tell her.

"Tifa, I…"

My voice trailed off as I realized it was not because of me at all that she had stopped. In front of her, lay a old chocobo skeleton partly submerged into the wet surface of the ground. Around it was all kinds of armor and old weapons scattered across the area, many still with their old materia still attached to them. I immediately sensed a tingle of fear in the back of my mind, telling me to get out of the area as fast as I could. But it seemed that we had a big problem.

"We're in its territory already" Tifa breathed, seemingly at guard at what was happening around us.

"I didn't realize we were this far out…"

Tifa nodded. "I guess we both got carried away… I'm sorry Vincent, I…"

I raised my hand to silence her, my eyes trailing the area for any movement that could reveal the serpent's position.

"We'll deal with this later. It's closing in…"

Tifa too scanned the area intently, obviously a bit frightened by the situation.

"We have to hurry back before it corners us"

Before Tifa managed to take another step, the water before us suddenly parted into a large wave and I jumped to the side, barely dodging the attack of the monster. A Midgar Zolom. To my relief I noticed Tifa too had managed to avoid the attack, but the gap between us now was rather wide. It was easy to pluck us one by one when we were separated like this. The Midgar Zolom circled us a few times before positioning itself before us, blocking our path back to the safety of the land. It luckily created a break for Tifa, who ran swiftly over to my side to face the serpent face to face, alongside me. As we stood before it, I couldn't help but stare at it in awe, a bit stunned to actually have ended up encountering one of these menacing creatures after all. I felt my hand instinctively reach for my Cerberus in its holster, every thought of Cloud's chocobo erased from my mind. What mattered now was getting Tifa and myself out of this alive. I rested my hand on its handle, ready to pull at any minute.

"What do we do?"

Tifa slowly reached out towards her pocket, pulling out her fighting gloves. She slowly but carefully put them on, not taking her eyes away from the serpent for a single second. Time seemed to be standing still.

"There is no running away now. We'll just have to take it down. "

I quickly pulled out the Cerberus and loaded it to maximum capacity while I had the chance, careful to not make any too sudden moves that would prompt another attack just yet. As I noticed Tifa was assuming battle pose in the corner of my eye, I pointed the barrels of my gun into the air, taking aim at the serpent's head. It hissed aggressively in reaction and I grinned to myself.

"Heh… Sounds like my kind of party"

* * *

**Author's Note**: *Moan* This chapter took forever to finish because of my final exams. I'm sorry that it's so messy and badly structured, not even to mention so long. There were a lot of feelings and situations I needed to put into this chapter to get it the way I wanted but I probably won't end up with a chapter this long again before the end. This will be the longest chapter in the story however and as we're getting closer to the end I'm starting to think that the result isn't so bad. Thanks a lot to all of you who have followed me so far, it means so much to me!

Please leave a review if you happen to read it, thanks a lot!


	8. Sacrifice

Chapter 8

It all happened so fast.

The battle was hard on us both, especially since we were just the two of us. It felt somewhat ironic that there were still monsters around we could struggle against, despite all the things we had defeated in the past. The Zoloms were very unpredictable, and now and then you would encounter one that just refused to die. Sadly, this seemed to be just one of those days where everything went wrong.

After a long struggle, Tifa and I had managed to get the upper hand on the creature. It was easy to detect when it was weakening, even without any sense materia, but we still had to be careful. We had slain a couple of these creatures before so we knew perfectly well what we were up against. They were always the most dangerous at the end of the battle.

As both Tifa and I were pretty agile, the battle consisted of mostly dodging and counter-attacking when it let its guard down. Tifa was the one in the most danger however, as she attacked the creature head on, while I could stay at a distance and fire with the Cerberus and materia. The strategy seemed to work well, yet it wore us both out quickly in the long run and I noticed that also Tifa was getting tired.

Tifa was just about to deal what looked like the finishing blow, when the Zolom suddenly reared up and slammed it's split tail at her, knocking her feet away under her and slamming her to the ground. Already weakened, she lacked the strength to recover quickly enough and was still struggling to get to her feet when the Zolom counter-attacked with its menacing bite. I however, wasn't planning on waiting to see if she managed to dodge it. In a hurry, I activated my limit break and turned into the Galian Beast, before dashing forward and pushing Tifa out of the way. I reacted completely on instinct and impulse, not even thinking about the fact that I was endangering myself. All that mattered to me, was that Tifa was unharmed. She managed a quick glance at me as I pushed her, startled and surprised at what was happening.

"Vincent-?"

Less than a second after I had gotten her out of the way, the serpent hit me instead, clamping its jaws tightly shut on my chest and back. The impact sent me flying backwards into the water, draining me so badly of strength that I nearly lost the little control I had over the transformation. I felt its teeth sink into my stomach, ribs and back as it pinned me to the ground, sending surges of intense pain to my brain. Somewhere further back, I could hear Tifa call my name in agony.

Despite my current state however, I managed to raise a clawed hand towards the head of the serpent, who was staring at me with yellow and menacing, yet fatigued eyes. I glared back with a silent growl, teeth bared. It was time to end this.

I forcefully thrust my hand as hard as I managed at its head, penetrating it from one end to the other; an effort that took every little bit of strength I still had left. The Zolom however, perished almost instantly, much to my relief. The strong jaws loosened its grip on me just enough that I managed to pry myself out and onto my feet. The pain was almost unbearable and I felt my head spin as the blood poured out of the wounds on my chest. The transformation faded away due to my low health and it felt even harder to keep myself upright once back in human form. The only thing that still kept me functioning was the immense surge of adrenaline in my veins. Blood was coloring the surroundings a deep red, yet I was unsure how much of it was mine.

Tifa seemed in shock and I turned my head slightly to the side to look at her. Seeing that she was alright filled me with such relief, and I felt my lips curve up into a smile, more genuine than I could ever remember having smiled at anyone before. Knowing the girl I loved was safe I could finally relax.

"Thank god…you're alright…Tifa…"

My knees suddenly gave in on me and I fell to the ground as long as I was. Tifa ran over to me and pulled my upper body out of the water, resting my head against her shoulder to keep my head from going under again.

"Vincent…! " she screamed, her arms cradling my body softly.

"You idiot! Why…? Why did you do that?"

I simply grinned slightly to her, letting out a small laugh at the same time.

"A simple thank-you would do"

She smiled painfully at me before dragging me quickly over to a more shallow part of the marsh to be able to put me down. My body hurt immensely and I winced in pain at her every touch. I didn't even have the energy to move my head to inspect my injuries myself but that was probably for the better. I knew both by how I felt and by how Tifa looked at me that it wasn't pretty.

Tifa started to inspect the wounds, loosening my clothing on the upper body to get a better view.

"Sorry about this…" she said silently, looking both embarrassed and determined at the same time. I was in no condition to protest.

"Where does it hurt the most?"

I nearly wanted to laugh at the question. After being inside the mouth of a Midgar Zolom there weren't a single part of me that didn't hurt. As her hand brushed over my chest however, I felt an intense sting of pain that made me utter a small cry, despite my efforts to contain it. She took the hint and inspected the area. Her expression changed the instant, from determination to shock. I tried lifting my head to see but she stopped me with one hand.

"Don't look, Vincent… Please, forgive me for this"

I didn't understand what was happening at first before I saw Tifa forcefully pull something out of me and forced my entire body flinch backwards in sheer agony. The pain was so intense I nearly passed out. Tifa sat before me, holding an enormous fang in her hand, which had obviously been the cause of my dismay. I stared at it in amazement, wondering how on earth I had managed to have something like that inside my body. Seeing my face distorted in pain, Tifa sent me an apologetic look before continuing her work to save me.

"You don't happen to have any restore materia on you?"

I shook my head as much as I managed, unable to answer. My teeth were occupied with being clenched together. She sighed slightly, before grabbing a part of my cape with one hand.

" I figured… I guess I have to do this the old fashioned way then!"

She looked up at me, eyes soft. "Sorry about this"

I heard a loud ripping sound and saw Tifa tear off a large strand of red fabric from my cape. She bound it around the wounds tightly and pressed down on it with her hands.

"I have to keep a compression on it, or else you'll be drained before we even get out of here" she said sternly. "But don't worry; I won't let anything happen to you. I'll keep you safe, just like you looked out for me"

It was remarkable how much better I felt just by hearing her words, but I knew well what a bind I was in. Being stranded with such injuries was certainly not a good thing and my time was limited. I had never however, been happier to be the one that was mortally wounded.

* * *

After Tifa had called the others on the Shera about what had happened and ordered them to come pick us up, I knew there were hope for me. I also knew however, that they had to be quick. Tifa kept sitting at my side the entire time, never removing her hand from my chest. I was amazed by her stamina but felt my own diminish slowly but certain.

Suddenly, I felt Tifa sit a bit closer, while resting her head carefully on the top of my head. Apparently, she noticed I was fading.

"Vincent, don't you dare dying do you hear me? Don't even think about giving up!"

I felt my head spin. It was getting harder to stay awake.

"I would not complain, really…" I muttered, not caring about restraining myself any longer. If I was going to die anyway, there was no reason to contain myself. She put one arm around my head, hugging me close to her while continuing to compress the wound with the other.

"Don't you dare say that! I won't let you!"

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply.

"I don't want to die, I really don't. But I can't think of a much better company to keep in my last hours… than you"

Tifa continued to hold my head, sobbing slightly.

"Vincent, please… Don't leave me behind…"

"The only reason I am still around at all, is because I want to be by your side Tifa…"

I reached out a hand and put it on her neck, pressing her closer to me. I felt her tears drip down onto my face.

"My only regret is that I never told you before how much you mean to me, Tifa… I'm sorry for not being sincere…"

My voice trailed off and eventually failed me completely. My arm fell to the ground, unable to stay upright for any longer, and Tifa lifted my head slightly, cupping my cheek with a hand. I was barely conscious but all I could think about was both how blessed and cursed I was to be dying like this. Blessed, that I would be able to spend my last hours on this earth with her. Cursed, that I was leaving the woman I loved, never to see her again.

The last thing I saw before my vision faded was Tifa's reddish and teary eyes, staring at me with a painful gaze.

It was really a pity it had to end this way.

* * *

Author's note: It needed a bit editing before I was pleased with it, but finally, here is chapter 8. I tried to avoid going into too much detail in the fighting scene, as it would simply drag on too much. I got to admit though, this is such a sad chapter.. Please leave a review if you happen to read it and thanks for the support so far!

CrimsonHeaven


	9. In Between Worlds

Chapter 9

"_Vincent, what have you done to yourself this time…? You're such a mess…"_

The voice sounded like it was far away, yet I could easily recognize it. I couldn't open my eyes to look at her however. My body hurt too much.

"Lucrecia…?"

I heard her let out a sigh. "_You never were good at taking care of yourself_"

I grinned slightly to myself, unmoved by her words.

"That's kind of ironic, coming from you"

She ignored my comment, yet I knew she didn't take it to heart. After all, she had been consumed by guilt over my fate. As I had been over hers as well.

"_I was so surprised when I first saw you, you know. You looked so much like your father. You still do"_

Her small talk confused me slightly, yet I was still happy to be able to speak to her one more time. Her importance and role in my life was unavoidable and impossible to deny.

"I want to sleep, Lucrecia… Sleep like I did during my time in the coffin… "

I heard her walk towards me, her heels echoing for every step she took. Despite my numbness and pain, I could easily feel her presence. It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake though, as I felt so incredibly tired.

"_Now is not the time for you to sleep, Vincent. Don't you remember what happened?"_

My head started to hurt as the gears of my brain turned, slowly and somewhat uneven. Something inside me, felt broken.

"No… It's all a blur. And it's painful…"

Lucrecia put her hand on my forehead. I couldn't tell if it felt hot or cold.

"_Poor Vincent, reduced to a shadow of a human, with an eternal span of years ahead. A life you so easily now threw away for the sake of another person that is dear to you" _

I couldn't really understand her words. I didn't even know if I was alive or dead anymore. But somewhere, in the back of my mind, a recent memory was triggered and played itself before me.

"…Tifa…?"

I felt a small pound inside my chest, at first alarmed and wondering what it was. Lucrecia stroked my forehead slightly with her hand, but I could no longer feel it at all.

"_Your heart still responds to her__, even if your mind is a blur and your body broken. Your life is slipping away because you cherished another person's life more than your own"_

I managed to open my eyes, looking into the angelic face of a woman who for a long time had belonged to a long lost past. Even through my blurry vision, I could see her brilliant smile. Her features were simply unmistakable to me, no matter my state nor the time passed.

"_Vincent, I know you thought of your life as__ a never ending journey into eternity and loneliness. But you don't have to walk this road alone, not anymore. There is someone who is waiting for you to come back to them."_

She smiled again.

"_You won't die this easily Vincent, not if you have the determination to keep on going. Don't make her wait for you any more than she has already. Go to her, and stop living your life as if each day is just a small fragment of the eternity you are facing. Live, as if every day was your last"_

My vision faded, and all I was able to see was darkness. I felt my consciousness slip and it felt like I was falling through clouds. Somewhere, I could still hear Lucrecia's voice echoing in the emptiness around me and I felt a pair of warm lips gently brush against my cheek.

"_Live, Vincent… Live, for the both of us…"_

_

* * *

_**Author's Note**: This can hardly be called a chapter, I know. I was planning on using more material but in the end decided to go with only this part as I had to cut down on the total length. I really felt I had to include Lucrecia in some way and this seemed like a natural situation for Vincent in his near-death state. I've also felt that parts of him needed approval from his lost love to be able to move forward completely, which I really wanted to emphasize here. I am very sure Lucrecia would just want the best for Vincent and would truly appreciate seeing him happy.

Thanks to all of you who has followed me this far! Please review and tell me what you think!

CrimsonHeaven


	10. The Beginning

Chapter 10

I suddenly came to as the feeling returned to my body, my every sense once again back on alert. The light shone bright at my still tightly shut eyelids, yet I took my time before I even thought about opening them. I was still feeling very unwell and I also a bit uncertain about what had really happened. Somewhere far away, a bird was singing.

A silent sob made me come to my senses, and I slowly opened my eyes. The light was almost painful to me, which made me wonder how long I really had been out. I let my eyes wander to the bedside, where an unexpected sight awaited me. Tifa was sitting in a chair by the bedside, resting her upper body on my mattress with her head on her arms. Seeing her immediately warmed me up from the inside out, and was slowly but certain erasing the numbness from my muscles, as well as returning my memories.

I wanted to reach out to touch her, yet I didn't know if I had the strength to do it. I tried anyway, but stopped as I noticed to my surprise that my arm was bare; the metal claw I usually had on no longer there. The rest of my body was also only lightly dressed; my upper body seemed to be bare, while my lower body sported a pair of light pants under the covers . It surprised me a bit seeing my own body out in the open and not covered in all the get-up I usually sported. Even my bandana was missing and my hair lay in soft strands around my face, as if it was happy to have its freedom back for a moment.

Despite I wasn't quite used to it; I had to admit it actually didn't feel too bad. If that was simply because of my current condition however, I did not know for sure. I took quite a beating during the fight and I could only guess what I would get to see if I lifted the covers to inspect the damage. I decided that just the thought of it was enough for me for now.

I turned my attention back over at Tifa, who hadn't moved an inch since I last watched her. I reached out towards her cheek and it felt like an eternity before I finally felt her warm skin towards my own. Had it not been for her, I would probably not have seen any point in trying to make it back.

She didn't react at first, but simply let out another silent sob in her sleep. It pulled my heartstrings more than I would admit, seeing her so sad. It was easy to tell that she had been crying.

Suddenly, her eyes sprung open and darted over to mine. She seemed to be somewhat in shock.

"Vincent…" she breathed. "You're awake…"

"Missed me?" I said while smiling slightly, voice a bit hoarse. It seemed like it had been a while since it was used. Tifa smiled slightly before putting her hand on top of the one I had on her cheek, eyes becoming teary once more.

"Stupid, being able to crack a joke at a time like this…" she said with a small laugh. She closed her eyes as she hugged my hand to her cheek, my heart skipping a beat at the sensation. Even now, she was so beautiful.

"You should be grateful. It's thanks to this idiot that you're alive right now"

She got up from her chair and sat down on the bedside, holding my hand in her own.

"Does that mean you remember everything?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, think so… It's all gradually coming back to me, but I can't remember anything about being brought here or…"

I looked around, suddenly aware that I didn't find anything familiar with the room I was in.

"Uh… Where are we anyway?"

She smiled contently, gently squeezing on my hand. "You don't recognize it? Then again, I'm the only person who is allowed in here anyway, so…"

She picked up a photograph from the nearby bedside table. Her gaze became extremely content, before she looked back over at me and turned the picture over so I could see it. I raised my head slightly to be able to see better. The photo was of our entire group in Edge after the incident with Sephiroth's resurrection and the Geostigma, which back then seemed like a moment where there actually would be some lasting peace around these parts. Tifa smiled, seemingly to herself.

"I always thought it was so nice that you actually wanted to take a picture with the rest of us…"

She looked back over at me. "We're in Edge at my bar. This is my room"

I felt my heartbeat quickening slightly. Tifa never let anyone into her room in the past so it was a surprise she had invited me in here. I almost felt privileged, as it seemed to be the best room in the building.

"How long have I been here?"

"Two days" Tifa replied, smiling slightly to herself.

"We had a doctor examine you right away, yet there weren't much he could do. He said that your will to live would in the end prove if you managed to pull out of it, but the chances were slim…"

She suddenly became a bit gloomy and I reached out my hand again to touch her arm, wanting to reassure her.

"Hey, I'm fine now. There is no reason to worry anymore."

She smiled painfully.

"Oh, but I did Vincent. And not just me either. The entire group is still gathered downstairs, wanting to support you and see to that you recovered safely. We have all been so worried, and no-one can ever remember having seen you that hurt before…"

I scoffed slightly.

"Never underestimate your opponent and think too highly of your allies"

Tifa kept her smile, yet looked a bit disappointed. "You sound so pessimistic, saying something like that. You didn't think I could handle it on my own back then? "

"It's not that... You see, everyone always depended so badly on me, thinking that just because I can't die of aging I can't die at all. But as I've told you before, even I have limits to what I can endure. All life is fragile"

I looked over at her, eyes stern.

"Especially yours"

Tifa opened her mouth slightly, seemingly a bit offended. She still kept her happy expression though.

"Are you calling me a weakling?"

I shook my head, dead serious.

"No. You think I would dare take the chance on finding out afterwards if you made it or not?"

I looked away, suddenly a bit nervous.

"It's simply because you are precious…"

Tifa blushed, her eyes looking away from my direction in embarrassment. They came to rest at the floor, obviously finding it highly interesting at the moment. I didn't blame her.

"That's…"

I lay back down to rest my head on the soft pillow, feeling a bit tired. I was still quite unwell.

"So there you have it. That's why I did what I did, Tifa. A normal human like you might not have survived an attack like that while so weak and injured."

Tifa returned her eyes to me, still with the red shimmer in her cheeks. It didn't hurt her appearance one bit.

"But you knew you could?"

I shook my head. "I didn't really think that much about it then and there to be honest… I just knew I wanted you out of harm's way"

I closed my eyes shut while inhaling slowly. Why was this always so hard?

"I'm sorry if my feelings have made you uneasy…"

She shook her head slightly, before suddenly leaning in and placed her head carefully on my shoulder, hugging me as gently as she managed.

"It's not that I don't like it, Vincent… I've just been so scared all this time… Scared about my own feelings and fearing that I won't be able to move forward in my life…"

I closed my eyes, breathing in slowly to take in her wonderful scent. It was enticing to my senses.

"What do you mean by "_all this time_"?" I asked, a bit curious. She shifted a bit, trying to hide her face away in my neck. It was a useless attempt however, as I couldn't see her from her current position anyway.

"I don't really know… I've always wanted you to stay close and integrated with us ever since I got to know you. So it always got me down that you seemed to want to be by yourself rather than us all the time… You seemed so lonely, just like I was…"

She sighed.

"Somewhere along the road, I noticed that you sort of… grew on me, and I started to develop feelings I had a hard time understanding myself… I knew I was falling for you, but I was scared to admit it, even to myself…"

I held my breath, emotions swirling around my body like wicked spirits. Listening to her was both painful and delightful at the same time.

"After you nearly died out there in my arms after risking your life to save me, I realized that I don't want to hold my emotions back anymore. I'm sorry I said what I did to you, it wasn't really true…"

She raised her head slightly, looking at me with a saddened gaze.

"I was the one that didn't let myself love you…I'm so sorry"

"Those are not your words to utter, Tifa…" I said sternly, before reaching out and cradled her head with my arm, hugging her as much as I managed. Hearing her words was so unreal to me; I nearly wanted someone to slap my face to make sure I wasn't still unconscious. Tifa seemed slightly taken aback, yet she didn't protest.

"You're not the only one who was scared…" I started, burying my face in her hair.

"The last time I confessed my feelings to the woman I loved, I lost her to somebody else… So it was hard for me to even think about another confession, because I felt like it would chase you away from me. Especially when you had that obvious crush on Cloud for so long"

She smiled slightly into my neck. "I understand Vincent. The past is sometimes hard to let go. But I know I want to move forward now… So therefore, I have a question for you…"

She parted slightly from the hug to be able to look at my face again. Her cheeks became even redder and she hesitated for a minute, apparently searching for the right words. I had a hard time not laughing. She was incredibly cute when she was shy.

"Is it okay if… I move forward together with you…?"

She looked away the moment she had completed the sentence, the honesty obviously becoming too much for her to handle. I was filled with such happiness I could barely contain myself, yet something in the back of my mind still told me to take it easy. Easier said than done, however.

"You know… There is one thing you should reflect on before you decide anything…" I started, a bit unsure how to go on. This time it was my turn to look away. It was a slightly sensitive subject for me.

"You're a really great girl and could probably catch the interest of most men out there without too much effort…" I nearly cursed under my breath at the thought, yet this was something that had to be said. I needed to make sure she knew what she was in for. I however, was already at the point of no return.

"I can't offer you a normal life like Cloud or any other regular men could. Since I'm not completely human anymore and I won't age normally like you do and… "

I hesitated, not daring to look at her face.

"Yet, despite me being this way, do you still want to be with me…?"

The sentence was almost impossible to finish and I felt uneasy the very moment I did. Tifa however, put her hand on my cheek, pulling my face back towards herself, forcing me to look at her. To my greatest surprise, her face bore a gentle smile.

"I know you feel that way about yourself, and I accept it with all my heart. You're you Vincent, and I have accepted every part of you ever since we first became friends. Can't you just believe me when I say it is you I want to be with? I'm actually more worried if you'll love me when that time comes, you know…"

I raised a hand to cup her cheek, gently caressing it with my thumb. Although I could understand her concern, the matter seemed utterly ridiculous to me.

"If you are willing, I will face the future alongside you, no matter what awaits us. I do love you after all, because you're you."

She smiled, leaning over towards me hopefully. "Is that your reply then?"

"No, not at all"

I gently leaned in towards her face, resting my forehead against hers. Our lips were only centimeters from touching and even in my current state; I found it hard to restrain myself. Tifa tensed up, yet she didn't pull away. I felt the corner of my mouth pull slightly upwards into a small grin.

"This is"

As our lips touched, every trace of pain seemed to vanish from my body, and every little bit of feelings for her I had locked away welled up all at once, nearly overwhelming me. It was with no regret I now at last could express what I had hid for so long, yet I was slightly surprised by myself and how much I actually had wanted it. Tifa didn't even seem too shocked by my sudden approach and pushed herself even closer to me, wrapping her arms around my body carefully. It was the very first time in countless years that I actually felt content and at ease.

As we parted from the kiss and our eyes met, Tifa immediately blushed and looked down at the sheets, once more shy and timid. I smiled slightly at the sight. Usually, Tifa was so mature and motherly, but apparently she also harbored such innocence. You didn't see me object however, as it simply made her cuter than ever. Tifa noticed my grin and blushed even further.

"Y-You're so bold all of a sudden…" she muttered.

I hugged her head to my chin with one arm, closing my eyes.

"So what? You have no idea how long I've shut all of this in"

She nodded slightly. "I guess…"

I tilted my head slightly to the side, observing her. "Did you hate it?"

Her gaze rose to meet with mine, cheeks still flushed, yet her expression a bit more serious.

"The only thing I hated about it was the part where you stopped…"

This time I couldn't contain myself and laughed my heart out, holding onto her small form at the same time. She watched me in surprise by my reaction, looking a bit startled.

"I'm so sorry" I breathed as the laughter sustained. "Who's the bold one you said?"

She grinned slightly, poking me with a finger in annoyance. "Hey, stop making fun of me!"

I pulled her up further towards me and she placed her face at my neck in response, hugging me gently. I smiled to myself, closing my eyes again as I held her.

"Don't you ever dare leaving me again…" she said silently, clinging onto me. I gently kissed the top of her head while stroking her back gently, unable to comprehend how on earth I could be this lucky. Outside, more birds joined in on the singing.

"Never…"

* * *

**Author's note**: Well, there it is. I couldn't resist making a happy ending for the two ^^ There will be one more chapter before I finish this story however, but just a short one so please stay tuned for the ending!^^ Thanks a lot to all of you guys who have followed the story up untill this point and written your kind reviews for me ^^ I love you all!

CrimsonHeaven


	11. Newfound Happiness

Chapter 11

***some time later***

The door opened with a small creak, the sound echoing across the room and finding its way into my ears. I frowned slightly into my newly purchased newspaper, not bothering to remove it from my face if I didn't have to. It became evident immediately however, that my peace this early in the morning wouldn't be undisturbed for long.

"Oh good, you're up already" Cloud said, putting something down on the kitchen-counter at the other end of the room. His steps came closer as I turned the page of my paper, eyes scanning the next page.

"Yeah"

Cloud grinned slightly to himself. "Always so accommodating, Vincent… Where's Tifa?"

I turned another page, managing to catch a glimpse of Cloud out of the corner of my eye in the process.

"She's still asleep. She has trouble sleeping these days so I asked her to leave the morning preparations to me"

Cloud walked closer and bent the paper with a finger, peering into my face through the hole. "What the heck have you done?"

I looked over at him, a bit annoyed. "What? I haven't done anything"

Cloud smiled slightly. He looked like he was struggling to contain a laugh.

"Exactly! Your hair and clothes… You're not in your regular get-up at all."

I rolled my eyes slightly to myself. "So what? Does it bother anyone if I try to go a bit more casual than before?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, not at all. I was just a bit surprised really. It reminds me that it's a while since I saw you"

I scoffed, returning my eyes to my paper. The past years I had become less obsessed with making sure I dressed myself up in all my usual clothes every day, and had started to wear a more regular get-up on the weekdays. I still had my old clothes safely stored in the drawer at my and Tifa's room however, reserved for missions or other times I would need it. My hair however was the same as usual, just actually let roam free without the usual bandana obscuring my face. I had to admit however, being casual was something I quickly became fond of, as there in reality were several reasons that I wanted to seem less menacing.

"The others will surely be surprised to see this I reckon. It's been a while, yet it's not like anybody expect you to change" Cloud continued, sounding extremely amused. "It really suits you though"

I nodded my head slightly in some sort of thanks, before putting the paper down on the table in front of me. "Can I get you something?"

Cloud shook his head again, gesturing slightly with his hand. "No thanks, I have to be off in a little while. Much to do"

"You're so hard-working these days." I muttered, gently removing some stray strands of hair from my eyes.

"How is Tifa?"

"Not too well, since it's nearly time. The doctor said just a few more days last time so it could be any day now"

Cloud smiled slightly, looking both a bit worried and relieved at the same time.

"I understand. I bet you're excited, huh?"

I nodded. "Of course. I'm also looking forward to see my wife doing better. It's quite hard to watch her so tired and exhausted all the time. It seems to be more painful for her this time"

"I see. Good thing she's a strong girl. Do you know the gender yet?"

I shook my head, grinning to myself. "Not really, but Tifa seems to have a strong feeling it's a boy. She keeps saying he'll be just like me"

Cloud smiled contently, letting out a small laugh at the same time. "Now there's a scary thought"

"I have to agree with you on that one"

We both broke out into laughter, and I immediately felt a bit better. It had been a while since anyone had visited, especially Cloud, and I had to admit I was looking forward to the evening when everyone would be gathered once more. Silence lingered for a moment and I took a sip of my glass of water. My throat felt like a desert.

"How is your new place then?"

Cloud scratched his head slightly. "Oh, it's not nearly as nice as yours. I just need somewhere to crash when I finally get back in the evenings so it works for me, at least for the moment"

I lowered my head slightly, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

"Barret would have let you stay in the bar you know"

Cloud grinned slightly.

"Don't go all emotional on me now, Vincent. That would be so unlike you. I don't want to run down the place since I'm so busy these days, and it's easier for me too to live on my own because of that. Besides…"

He looked over at me, eyes softening slightly. "Since you moved and the children have grown so much, there is no major reason for me to hang around that place all the time anymore. I feel like its best this way, since I can visit whenever I like anyway."

I nodded slightly. "I guess you're right."

Cloud nodded as well in response. "Of course I am. Just watch it; you'll never know when I'll drop by to visit you again."

I grinned, mostly to myself however. "I'll keep a note of it"

Cloud got up from his seat before walking into the middle of the room. He stopped by the package he left at the kitchen-counter earlier, pointing with a finger over at it.

"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry. I put the stuff you guys ordered over there. I have some more errands to run but I'll be back with the others later tonight for the birthday-party."

He continued his stride over to the door, yet didn't pass through it. He turned slightly to look back at me, the same soft yet stern gaze he had sported before prominent in his eyes once more.

"She grows fast, huh?"

I grinned, closing my eyes slightly. "Way too fast"

"Tell Luna that uncle said hi"

He exited the door without another word, waving his hand slightly back at me in farewell. I returned my gaze to the folded newspaper on the table in front of me, yet didn't pick it up. My mind wandered slightly, once again calmed and relaxed as silence engulfed the room. So many things had happened the last years it was hard to wrap my head around it all at once. Even now.

I got up from my seat, slightly restless and ascended the staircase to the upper level. Once there, I carefully made my way to my one of the small rooms and peered in through the door. I smiled as I approached the sleeping form in the small bed, sleeping soundly in the early morning hours. I kneeled slightly over the small girl, observing her intently as she slept on, oblivious to my presence. For every year that passed, her appearance became even more like Tifa's, and it never seemed to stop surprising me how much. Her hair and eyes however, were unmistakably mine, and I gently reached out to stroke her dark locks, awed it was possible to care so much for another being. Even the beauty of our most brilliant buildings and monuments that adorned our cities and towns diminished in comparison to this little girl. It somehow amazed me that she indeed was made from my very own flesh and blood. I wondered how on earth anyone actually could claim those buildings and monuments were the wonders of the human race; the most beautiful and fantastic things ever created by us. After becoming a parent and holding my newborn daughter for the first time however, I could easily say otherwise. Our children were, and today, just before I would become father for the second time, my Luna turned four years old.

I kissed the top of my daughter's head as the sun slowly crept over the mountains of Nibelheim, starting another day in my newfound life together with my family. A newfound life in a newfound happiness, where each day no longer was a pain to endure.

_I knew now that it was a gift._

_

* * *

_**Author's Note: **That's it, boys and girls! The very last chapter! Gosh, I can't believe I'm already at the end of this. It seemes like yesterday when I started to write it, yet it's already been over a month! I want to thank all of you who have followed this story and submitted your overly kind reviews to me, it's really meant a lot to me. Hopefully, people may continue to enjoy the story in the future and I hope you all will stay tuned for more of my work in the future!

Thank you so much for your support, it really means a lot to me!

CrimsonHeaven


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